US unseals raft of criminal charges against Huawei
30 January, 2019
The United States Justice Department on Monday unsealed a series of charges against Chinese telecoms giant Huawei, further escalating tensions prompted by a prolonged campaign against the firm.
The charges unveiled on Monday include allegations of financial fraud levied against Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou, who was arrested in Canada at the request of the US and is currently awaiting extradition hearings.
Beijing contends that the arrest of Meng is part of a politically-motivated conspiracy to discredit Huawei.
The announcements Monday come just as a Chinese delegation arrives to begin high-level trade negotiations in Washington. The meetings are the highest level trade talks since a meeting between Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping on December 1, the same day of Meng’s arrest.
A statement released by US authorities detailed a series of alleged crimes, listing three defendants, including the company itself and an affiliate, Skycom Tech.
In total, more than two dozen charges were listed, including bank fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, conspiracy to obstruct justice, and violations of Iran sanctions.
“For over a decade, Huawei employed a strategy of lies and deceit to conduct and grow its business,” US Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Richard Donoghue said. “This Office will continue to hold accountable companies and their executives, whether here or abroad,” he added.
In a separate filing, also unveiled on Monday, authorities charged Huawei with theft of trade secrets.