Court in China upholds death sentence for Canadian in drugs case

A Chinese court on Monday upheld the death sentence of a Canadian man found guilty of smuggling drugs.

The conviction related to Candian Robert Schellenberg who was arrested by Chinese authorities in 2014 and sentenced to jail for 15 years in 2018.

Schellenberg was sentenced to death in 2019 shortly after Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou was arrested in Canada on charges of misleading HSBC's alleged dealing with Iran.

Meng is beingheld by Canadian authorities as her extradition case is underway in Vancouver.

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The Chinese High Court located in Liaoning upheld the verdict passed earlier as Canada's ambassador to China, Dominic Barton, condemned the decision.

The court said the facts found in the first trial were clear and the evidence was reliable and sufficient while adding that sentence was appropriateand the trial procedures were legal.

"It is not a coincidence that these are happening right now, while the case is going on in Vancouver," Barton said while asking for clemency.

Prosecutors during the trial had said Schellenberg planned to send large quantities of methamphetamine to Australia and was part of an international drug trafficking racket.

Barton added that the Canadian government had expressed opposition over China's "cruel and inhumane punishment" as he attended the trial on Tuesday.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had earlier accused China of "arbitrarily" imposing the death penalty.

China had arrested Canadian businessman Spavor last year and charged him with espionage. The trial began in March with the court expected to announced the verdict on Wednesday.

Former diplomat Michael Kovrig was also charged with espionage, however, the fate of his trial is unknown.

(With inputs from Agencies)