The trial of a Canadian businessman accused of spying in China ended in no verdict on Friday after a court appearance that lasted just under two hours.
Michael Spavor is one of two Canadians held in detention in apparent retaliation for Canada’s arrest on a U.S. extradition warrant of Huawei finance chief Meng Wanzhou.
Meng, the eldest daughter of Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei, has been out on bail and living in a mansion in Vancouver, while the accused Canadians remain in China’s opaque penal system.
The BBC has described Spavor, who was formally charged last June with spying, as “a business consultant dealing with North Korea.”
Canada has attacked the charges against its citizens as “trumped up”, and the cases have sent relations between Ottawa and Beijing to their lowest point in decades, as Breitbart News reported.
WHAT!! Documents suggest that “6-8 personnel” from China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) were to participate in “winter survival training” at Canadian Forces Base Petawawa (CFB Petawawa) in Petawawa, Ontario. https://t.co/Fj5hwfX21R
— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) December 9, 2020
AP reports Canada said its consular officials were refused permission to attend the proceedings against Spavor, who is defending himself against charges of stealing state secrets.
Jim Nickel, the Canadian Embassy’s deputy chief of mission, said following a meeting with Spavor’s lawyer the hearing ended at noon Friday after two hours.
Nickel declined to give other details, citing rules on protecting Spavor’s privacy.
In a statement posted on its website, the Intermediate People’s Court of Dandong in the northeastern province of Liaoning Province said it had held a closed-door hearing against Spavor on charges of spying and illegally sending state secrets abroad.
AP reports it said Spavor and his defense lawyers were present for the proceedings and the court would pronounce a sentence at a date “determined in accordance with law.”
Fellow Canadian Michael Kovrig, who is also charged with spying, is due to go before a court on Monday.
The two were detained in December 2018, days after Meng was arrested at the request of the U.S. at the airport in Vancouver.
AP contributed to this story
Follow Simon Kent on Twitter: Follow @SunSimonKent or e-mail to: skent@breitbart.com
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Breitbart News 2021-03-19 12:54:00
