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(Adds details from court proceedings)
By Sarah Berman
VANCOUVER, Nov 20 (Reuters) - A border official who took
part in interrogating Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng
Wanzhou testified on Friday he did not have reasonable grounds
to believe she should have been denied entry to Canada but that
he felt the border agency's warrant to detain her was still
justified.
Huawei lawyers are seeking to prove in a Canadian court that
the investigation by Canada's border agency two years ago at
Vancouver International Airport resulted in abuse of process
that should get her extradition to the United States thrown out.
Prosecutors and witnesses from the Canada Border Services
Agency (CBSA) and Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) have
countered that Meng's investigation and arrest followed usual
procedures.
On Friday, defence lawyer Mona Duckett confronted CBSA agent
Sowmith Katragadda about a document he signed, which included a
declaration that he had reasonable grounds to believe she should
be denied entry to Canada and therefore could be arrested with
an immigration warrant.
When asked if he had reasonable grounds, Katragadda replied,
"At the time, no I did not."
He countered that he did not choose the wording of the
paperwork and believed there was still justification for the
immigration warrant.
CBSA officials have previously testified they were concerned
about Meng fleeing the country if the RCMP did not arrest her.
Meng, 48, was arrested on charges of bank fraud from the
United States, where she is accused of misrepresenting Huawei
Technologies Co Ltd’s dealings with Iran, putting one
of its lenders, HSBC, at risk of violating U.S. trade
sanctions.
She has denied the charges and sought to have her
extradition thrown out because of alleged collusion between
Canadian and U.S. authorities among other reasons.
In particular, Meng's lawyers have asserted that Canadian
and U.S. authorities used the additional investigative powers of
the CBSA to interrogate Meng without a lawyer present.
CBSA officers have testified their investigation was not
directed by outside authorities and would have taken place
regardless of the outstanding warrant for her arrest.
Meng's arrest has set off a diplomatic conflict between
Ottawa and Beijing.
(Reporting by Sarah Berman in Vancouver; Writing by Moira
Warburton in Toronto
Editing by Denny Thomas, Lincoln Feast and Cynthia Osterman)
