Lawyers for Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd.'s chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou are trying to halt the publication of documents sent to them by HSBC Holdings plc.

Canadian prosecutors requested the documents be made public saying a refusal to do so was a violation of the principles of open court.

Meng's lawyers are expected to present their arguments to the British Columbia Supreme Court this week. The documents were provided to Meng under an agreement related to a lawsuit in Hong Kong.

HSBC required Meng to "use reasonable effort" to keep confidential information concealed from the public. According to her lawyers, they are "contractually bound" to seek a publication ban to protect the bank's privacy and to encourage its cooperation in the extradition case.

The 49-year-old daughter of Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei was arrested at Vancouver International Airport in December 2018. She is accused of bank fraud and misleading HSBC about her company's business in Iran. She is fighting an extradition demand from the U.S.

By not disclosing the true nature of Huawei's Iran activities HSBC was at risk of breaching U.S. sanctions. Meng has denied all of the allegations and maintains her innocence.

Meng's lawyers said the documents may be used as evidence if their publication ban request is denied. The contents haven't been described but the lawyers say they will bolster their case and help prove their argument of her being a victim of an "abuse of process."

Canada government lawyer John Gibb-Carsley - who represents U.S.interests in the case - said a full publication ban would be a breach of Canada's justice system. He suggested instead of a ban, sensitive information such as accounts, employee names and other personal information could be redacted.

In a court submission Gibb-Carsley said Meng's lawyers had provided no evidence any harm would result from publication. He said the reason for the ban was to uphold an agreement made with HSBC in an agreement approved by the High Court in Hong Kong.