They told the court in Vancouver that she is seeking a ban on publishing the evidence in order to protect the bank’s privacy.
HSBC agreed to release its documents relating to transactions involving her and Huawei and an alleged plan to export equipment to Iran, in defiance of a US ban.
Huawei and Meng deny the allegations and are seeking to use the documents to show the court that HSBC was aware of the relationships. The US, in its attempt to have her extradited from Canada for trial, is accusing her of defrauding the bank.
Meng and her lawyers persuaded HSBC to release the documents in a Hong Kong court action in April, after a court in London earlier rejected the request. Her legal team have been given an extension to the extradition proceedings so that they can review the documents. Now the case is expected to last until late August.
According to overnight reports from Vancouver, on Canada’s west coast, the documents contain information on how HSBC does business — and Meng’s lawyers are saying a ban would protect the bank’s interests while also encouraging them to participate or cooperate.
However a group of media interests, including the Reuters news agency and Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post, are opposing the call for documents to be withheld. So are the Canadian prosecutors, who are arguing the US case for extradition.
Meng was arrested at Vancouver airport in December 2018 after arriving in Hong Kong for a stay at her house in the city.
The court will resume at the end of July and then will begin a three-week hearing on 3 August. Meng is continuing to work as CFO of Huawei.
