上周五，华为首席财务官孟晚舟与布鲁克林的联邦检察官达成了一项延期起诉协议，以解决一个违反制裁的案件，该案件一直让她无法脱身被拘留在加拿大自2018年末以来。
孟晚舟通过视频出现在布鲁克林联邦法院，美国助理检察官凯斯勒(David Kessler)表示，延期起诉协议将于2022年12月到期。她被捕四年后加拿大当局应美国的要求。
凯斯勒说:“如果孟晚舟遵守《达尔富尔和平协议》规定的所有义务，政府同意撤销对她的所有指控。“如果孟晚舟不遵从她的指控，她可能会被起诉。”
孟晚舟一直被限制在她位于不列颠哥伦比亚省温哥华价值数百万美元的家中，她在2019年表示，为了打发时间，她选择了油画。
作为她加入延期起诉协议的交换，凯斯勒说，美国将告诉加拿大人，孟可以被释放并返回中国。
"你有没有和你的美国法律顾问一起审查整个事实陈述?"安·唐纳利法官问道。
“是的，”孟通过翻译回答。
"事实陈述中的每一个陈述都真实准确吗?"唐纳利说。
“是的，”孟说。
据检方称，华为涉嫌在2017年违反美国制裁，向伊朗出售禁运的美国设备。
美国代理检察官尼科尔·博克曼(Nicole Boeckmann)在一份声明中表示:“在达成延期起诉协议时，孟对自己参与诈骗一家全球金融机构的主要角色承担了责任。“她在事实陈述中的承认证实，在担任华为首席财务官期间，孟就华为在伊朗的业务运营向一家金融机构的一名高级管理人员作出了多项重大虚假陈述，试图维护华为与该金融机构的银行关系。”
就在孟晚舟签署协议几个小时后，加拿大总理周五晚间宣布，两名加拿大人目前正在回国的飞机上，他们是在华为高管被捕后于近三年前在中国被拘留的。其中一个，迈克尔·斯派沃，被说服并被判刑上个月因从事间谍活动被判11年。
特鲁多说:“这两个人经历了难以置信的艰难考验。“在过去的一千天里，他们展示了力量、毅力、韧性和优雅，我们都受到了鼓舞。我要感谢他们的家人，他们一直支持他们，尽一切可能支持他们，支持我们为确保他们获释所做的工作。”
总理在讲话中没有提到孟，但确实感谢“我们在世界各地的盟友和国际伙伴”帮助确保了Spavor和Michael Kovrig的释放。
美国国务卿安东尼·布林肯在一份声明中说:“美国政府与国际社会站在一起，欢迎中华人民共和国当局决定释放被任意拘留两年半以上的加拿大公民迈克尔·斯帕沃和迈克尔·科夫里奇。”。"我们很高兴他们将回到加拿大的家中。"
孟晚舟对共谋实施银行欺诈、银行欺诈、共谋实施电汇欺诈和电汇欺诈的指控不认罪，但对检方概述的某些事实做出了说明，检方指控她和她父亲创办的科技公司窃取商业秘密，逃避对伊朗的经济制裁。
此案的解决可能会让北京在国内有借口与美国重新接触。此案被广泛视为特朗普政府在对华政策上的一记开门红。
孟被捕的同一天，美国前总统唐纳德·特朗普(Donald Trump)和中国在2018年阿根廷20国集团(G-20)峰会间隙进行了面对面的会面。自那以后，该案一直列在中国在最近的双边会议上向美国提出的要求清单上，作为对和解的“诚意展示”。
华为在孟晚舟被捕时的一份声明中表示，“公司得到的关于指控的信息非常少，不知道孟晚舟有任何不当行为”。“华为遵守其运营地的所有适用法律和法规，包括适用的出口管制和制裁法律以及联合国、美国和欧盟的法规。”
US enters deferred prosecution agreement with detained Huawei executive Weng Manzhou
Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou entered into a deferred prosecution agreement with federal prosecutors in Brooklyn on Friday to resolve a sanctions violation case that has kept herdetained in Canadasince late 2018.
Meng appeared by video in Brooklyn federal court where Assistant U.S. Attorney David Kessler said the deferred prosecution agreement expires in December 2022,four years after her arrestby Canadian authorities at the request of the United States.
"If Ms. Meng complies with all of her obligations under the DPA, the government agrees to dismiss all the charges against her," Kessler said. "If Ms. Meng does not comply with her allegations she can be prosecuted."
Meng has been confined to her multimillion-dollar home in Vancouver, British Columbia, where she said in 2019 she'd taken up oil painting in order to pass the time.
In exchange for her entry into the deferred prosecution agreement, Kessler said the U.S. would tell the Canadians that Meng can be released and return to China.
"Have you reviewed the entire statement of facts with your United States legal counsel?" asked Judge Ann Donnelly.
"Yes," Meng replied through an interpreter.
"Is every statement in the statement of facts true and accurate?" Donnelly said.
"Yes," Meng said.
Huawei allegedly broke U.S. sanctions in 2017 by selling embargoed American equipment to Iran, according to prosecutors.
"In entering into the deferred prosecution agreement, Meng has taken responsibility for her principal role in perpetrating a scheme to defraud a global financial institution," acting U.S. Attorney Nicole Boeckmann said in a statement. "Her admissions in the statement of facts confirm that, while acting as the Chief Financial Officer for Huawei, Meng made multiple material misrepresentations to a senior executive of a financial institution regarding Huawei's business operations in Iran in an effort to preserve Huawei's banking relationship with the financial institution."
Just hours after Meng entered into the agreement, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Friday night that two Canadians who were detained in China nearly three years ago in the wake of the Huawei executive's arrest are now on a plane home. One of them, Michael Spavor,was convinced and sentencedto 11 years for spying last month.
"These two men have gone through an unbelievably difficult ordeal," Trudeau said. "For the past thousand days, they have shown strength, perseverance, resilience and grace, and we are all inspired by that. I want to thank their families who've been there for them, supporting them in every way they could and supporting us in the work we've done to secure their release."
The prime minister did not mention Meng in the address, but did thank "our allies and international partners around the world" for helping to secure Spavor and Michael Kovrig's release.
"The U.S. Government stands with the international community in welcoming the decision by People’s Republic of China authorities to release Canadian citizens Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig after more than two-and-a-half years of arbitrary detention," U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement. "We are pleased that they are returning home to Canada."
Meng pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, bank fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud, but stipulated to certain facts outlined by prosecutors who have accused her and the technology company founded by her father of stealing trade secrets and evading economic sanctions on Iran.
Resolution of the case may give Beijing cover domestically to re-engage with the United States. The case was widely seen as an opening salvo by the Trump administration in its approach to China.
Meng was arrested the same day former President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping met face to face on the sidelines of 2018's G-20 in Argentina. Since then, the case has been on a list of demands the Chinese have presented to the U.S. at their recent bilateral meetings as a "show of sincerity" about a rapprochement.
"The company has been provided very little information regarding the charges and is not aware of any wrongdoing by Ms. Meng," Huawei said in a statement at the time of Meng's arrest. "Huawei complies with all applicable laws and regulations where it operates, including applicable export control and sanction laws and regulations of the U.N., U.S. and E.U."
