Article content

OTTAWA — American authorities are facing a key deadline at the end of the month to formally request the extradition of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou from Canada to the United States.

A spokesman for Canada’s Justice Department said on Friday the U.S. had yet to file the required paperwork in the Meng case and they have until Jan. 30 to do so. If the U.S. misses the deadline, lawyers with expertise in extradition cases say the door could open for Meng’s eventual release.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Americans face deadline to file paperwork for Huawei executive's extradition Back to video

Canadian police arrested Meng at Vancouver’s airport Dec. 1 at the request of American authorities, who are seeking her extradition on fraud allegations. They say she lied to American banks as part of a scheme to get Huawei business around United States sanctions against Iran.

Her arrest has infuriated Beijing and the case is at the centre of an increasingly testy diplomatic dispute between Canada and China. The Chinese government says Meng has done nothing wrong and has demanded her release, warning Canada of severe consequences if it doesn’t free her.