Witness admits giving ‘incomplete’ testimony in Meng Wanzhou hearing, as illicit contact with Canada government lawyer is revealed
- Border officer Nicole Goodman breached a judge’s instructions by approaching the lawyer outside court with concerns her evidence involved privileged information
- The extradition hearing was halted so Goodman could receive directions, and she later choked on her words as she was pressed on her testimony’s accuracy
The witness, Nicole Goodman, then admitted to the court she had given “incomplete” evidence in her testimony the day before.
Goodman spent most of Thursday under withering cross examination from Meng’s lawyer, Mona Duckett.
The veteran Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) officer choked on her words as she was repeatedly questioned about the accuracy of her testimony, prompting Duckett to say in the afternoon: “I’m not accusing you of anything… It’s late in the day, and I know you’re a bit emotional right now.”
The illicit contact, in breach of the judge’s instructions to Goodman that she not discuss her testimony with anyone, had been announced in the morning by John Gibb-Carsley, who is also a Canadian government lawyer but is representing US interests in the case in the Supreme Court of British Columbia.
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Gibb-Carsley told Associate Chief Justice Heather Holmes that he had alerted Meng’s lawyers, as well as the court’s amicus curiae – a lawyer with special clearance who has been tasked with reviewing evidence that Meng and her counsel are not allowed to see for national security reasons.