The U.S. Department of Justice is refusing to comment on media reports that its lawyers are seeking a plea deal of sorts with Chinese tech executive Meng Wanzhou.
The Wall Street Journal says Justice Department lawyers have approached Huawei’s chief financial officer about the possibility of a so-called deferred prosecution agreement.
The newspaper says in exchange for admitting wrongdoing, Meng would be allowed to leave Canada, where she has been awaiting extradition to the U.S. for the last two years.
Meng was detained in Vancouver in December 2018 at the behest of the Justice Department, which has accused Huawei of violating U.S. sanctions on Iran.
Her arrest, which sparked a diplomatic standoff, has been widely linked to China’s decision days later to detain Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, who face charges of espionage.
Neither the Prime Minister’s Office nor the International Crisis Group, where Kovrig worked, would comment on the Journal report.
Marc Raimondi, a Justice Department spokesman, also refused to comment on the reports Friday.
The Canadian Press
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