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Canadian police feared Meng Wanzhou could flee via consulate and private airport, officer’s notes suggest
- Sergeant’s handwritten notes released by Canadian government lawyers describe concerns that police ‘could not act’ if Meng escaped
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Why you can trust SCMP
Ian Youngin Vancouver
Canadian police considered whether Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou could flee to the Chinese consulate and then a “private airport” if freed on bail, handwritten notes by an officer appear to show.
The brief notes were made by Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Sergeant Peter Lea on December 4, three days after Meng was arrested at Vancouver’s international airport, setting off an international firestorm against the background of the US-China trade war.
Meng’s bail hearing was about to get under way in the British Columbia Supreme Court at the time, and eight days later the Huawei chief financial officer was released on C$10 million (US$7.6 million) bail.
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The notes were released on Monday by the Canadian government lawyers representing the US in the extradition case.
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“What could RCMP/CBSA do if she went to Chinese consulate, then to private airport?” Lea’s notes say, referring to the Canada Border Services Agency. “If no grounds, she is hidden, we could not act.”
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