Timeline shows delay between Meng Wanzhou detention and access to lawyer
Credit to Author: David Carrigg| Date: Wed, 21 Aug 2019 04:58:52 +0000
A legal document presented in the Supreme Court of B.C. on Tuesday provides insight into the detention of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou on a U.S. fraud charge at Vancouver International Airport on Dec. 1, 2018.
Meng’s lawyers claim that U.S. authorities, the RCMP and Canada Border Services Agency agents worked together to prevent Meng from being arrested immediately upon detention, thereby delaying her right to access a lawyer. These arguments are made as part of Meng’s legal team’s bid to have more details of the detention and arrest released to them.
Here’s a breakdown of the four hours between Meng’s detention and her talking to legal counsel, as described by her legal team.
11:10 a.m. : Meng arrives at YVR on Cathay Flight CX838 with a companion and gets off the flight. A Provisional Arrest Warrant had been issued in Vancouver the day before by a Supreme Court of B.C. justice that ordered “all peace officers having jurisdiction in Canada to immediately arrest Wanzhou Meng.” Three CBSA agents are on the jetway and screen passengers as they leave the plane. The border agents have a description of what Meng is wearing. Two RCMP officers are observing. Meng is identified, told she was being detained, not told about the arrest warrant and two of her phones and one belonging to a travelling partner are seized and placed in Mylar evidence bags.
11:35 a.m. : Meng is escorted by two CBSA agents to the secondary screening area where she is left by herself for ten minutes. She is not free to leave or speak to any third parties.
11:45 a.m. : Meng is brought to Counter 21 in the secondary screening area and the two agents begin to question her and search her belongings.
12:03 a.m. : Meng’s bags are retrieved from the luggage carousel.
12:13 p.m. : A third CBSA agent approaches Counter 21 and speaks with the other two officers.
12:14 p.m. : Agents seize an iPad, MacBook and USB stick from Meng’s luggage.
12:20 p.m. : Two agents leave the counter while the third agent talks with Meng over the next 25 minutes.
1:09 p.m. : The two agents return to the counter, where Meng is asked more questions.
1:13 p.m. : One of the agents leaves and Meng is allowed to go to the bathroom.
1:55 p.m. : Meng is again interviewed by an agent for 14 minutes and is questioned about her role with Huawei. During this time Meng is compelled to handover the passcodes to her electronic devices.
2:11 p.m. : Meng is taken away from Counter 21 so that she can be arrested by the RCMP.
2:15 p.m. : Meng is taken into a room where the RCMP interact with her for the first time and she is told why she has been arrested and of her right to obtain counsel.
2:27 p.m. : Meng requests to speak with a lawyer (as per one of the RCMP officers notes).
3:20 p.m. : Meng is able to call legal counsel from YVR.
The above timeline comes from the Memorandum of Fact and Law Application for Disclosure between applicant Meng Wanzhou and respondent The Attorney General of Canada on behalf of the United States of America registered in the Supreme Court of British Columbia.