Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou maintains silence amid rumours of plea deal

Huawei's CFOMeng Wanzhou maintained complete silence and offered no comment on reported claims of a new plea deal during hercourt battle against extradition to the United States.

Wanzhou was met with reporters and cameras upon stepping out en route the respective court in Canada. However,Wanzhou maintained complete silence, ignoring all questions thrown her way, AFP reported.

After fighting a two-year-long battle againstextradition over charges Huawei violated US sanctions on Iran, reports suggest the businesswoman's team of lawyers are now working out a new plea deal for her with a possible "deferred prosecution agreement".

As per reports, Meng's lawyers are working out a new plea deal for her as per which she will admit to some of the fraud and conspiracy charges related to the alleged violations and will be allowed to return to China. However, there were signs of reluctance from the Huawei executive towards such a deal where she would have to admit to any wrongdoing.

Her lawyers are also claiming her rights have been violated during the process of her arrest and that she has been a victim of political persecution and the US is simplyattacking Huawei to contain China's advances in technology.

Officials, too, will be testifying this week about Meng's arrest. Talking about the same, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Sergeant Ross Lundie said he feels "uncomfortable"assisting the FBI."I'm not there to provide information or to act on behalf of the FBI," he said under cross-examination. "I work for the RCMP."

Meng has been in Canada since her arrest in 2018 during a stopover inVancouver. Canada has refused several tries by China to bring back Meng. China has, as Canada claims, retaliated by detaining two Canadian citizens — Canadians Michael Kovrig, a former diplomat, and Michael Spavor on suspicions of espionage.Meng's arrest started a decline in the relationship between Beijing and Ottawa.

The extradition hearing is scheduled to wrap up in April 2021.