By Moira Warburton
VANCOUVER (Reuters) – Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou reached an agreement with U.S. prosecutors on Friday to end the bank fraud case against her, Assistant U.S. Attorney David Kessler told a New York judge.
The move should allow Meng to eventually leave Canada and relieve a point of tension between China and the United States.
Here is a timeline of Meng’s extradition case.
AUG. 22, 2018: A New York court issues an arrest warrant for Meng to stand trial in the United States.
DEC. 1, 2018: Meng is arrested by Canadian police in Vancouver as she changes planes. The arrest is not made public until Dec. 5. The Chinese embassy in Canada demands her release.
DEC. 6, 2018: Chinese officials say they have not been given a reason for Meng’s arrest. The White House and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau both move to distance themselves from the case.
DEC. 7, 2018: Court proceedings show that the United States issued the arrest warrant because it believes Meng covered up attempts by Huawei-linked companies to sell equipment to Iran, breaking U.S. sanctions against the country.
DEC. 8, 2018: China threatens Canada with consequences if it does not release Meng.
DEC. 10, 2018: Two Canadians Michael Kovrig and Spavor are arrested in China.
DEC. 11, 2018: Meng is released on bail to house arrest in Vancouver by a British Columbia court. U.S. President Donald Trump tells Reuters he will intervene in the case if it would serve national interests.
JAN. 8, 2019: Documents found by Reuters confirm Huawei’s links to companies suspected of operating in Iran and Syria, breaking sanctions.
JAN. 22, 2019: The U.S. Justice Department announces it will formally seek the extradition of Meng to the United States.
JAN. 26, 2019: Trudeau fires John McCallum, Canada’s ambassador to China, after he tells Chinese-language media Huawei can make a good case against extradition, thanks in part to Trump’s comments about his willingness to get involved.
MARCH 1, 2019: Canada approves the extradition order of Meng to the United States.
MARCH 3, 2019: Huawei sues the Canadian government over Meng’s arrest.
MARCH 6, 2019: China says it found “hazardous pests” in Canadian canola samples and blocks most shipments of the crop.
JUNE 25, 2019: China blocks all pork shipments from Canada.
JULY 15, 2019: Canada postpones decision on whether to allow Huawei to build a 5G network in Canada.
MAY 27, 2020: A British Columbia Supreme Court judge rules the charges against Meng met the legal standard of double criminality, meaning they could be considered crimes in both the United States and Canada.
JUNE 19, 2020: China charges two detained Canadians with suspected espionage.
SEPT. 28, 2020: Hearings begin on whether to allow Meng to add a new allegation of abuse of process to the case.
AUG. 4, 2021: Meng returns to the courtroom for the final weeks of her hearings.
AUG. 10, 2021: A Chinese court sentences Canadian businessman Michael Spavor to 11 years in prison for espionage.
AUG. 10, 2021 – Meng’s extradition hearing wraps up and Canadian judge sets Oct. 21 to announce a date to issue a ruling in her case.
SEPT 24, 2021 – Meng has reached an agreement with U.S. prosecutors to end the bank fraud case against her, U.S. prosecutors say, a move that should allow her to leave Canada. A hearing in her extradition case is set to take place in British Columbia Supreme Court later in the day.
(Reporting by Moira Warburton; Editing by Denny Thomas and Sonya Hepinstall)
