06 December 2018 - 17:07

Huawei Manager Arrested due to Violating U.S. Sanctions on Iran

Huawei Technologies Co.’s chief financial officer was arrested in Canada over potential violations of U.S. sanctions on Iran.
News ID : 94349
هوآوی

According to Bloomberg, Wanzhou Meng — also deputy chairwoman and the daughter of Huawei’s founder — faces extradition to the U.S., said Ian McLeod, a Canada Justice Department spokesman. She was arrested Dec. 1 after the U.S. Department of Justice in April opened an investigation into whether the telecommunications giant sold gear to Iran despite sanctions on exports to the region.



The arrest was reported earlier by Canada’s Globe and Mail newspaper. The U.S. Justice Department declined to comment about the arrest. A spokeswoman for Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau referred questions to the country’s justice department.



Huawei, in a statement, said the arrest was made on behalf of the U.S. so Meng could be extradited to “face unspecified charges” in the Eastern District of New York.



“The company has been provided very little information regarding the charges and is not aware of any wrongdoing by Ms. Meng,” Huawei said. “The company believes the Canadian and U.S. legal systems will ultimately reach a just conclusion. Huawei complies with all applicable laws and regulations where it operates, including applicable export control and sanction laws and regulations of the UN, U.S. and EU.”



In August, U.S. President Donald Trump signed a bill banning the government’s use of Huawei technology based on the security concerns.



Also in August, Australia banned the use of Huawei’s equipment for new faster 5G, or fifth-generation, wireless networks in the country and New Zealand last week did the same, citing national security concerns. Similar moves are under consideration in the U.K. The U.S., which believes Huawei’s equipment can be used for spying, is contacting key allies including Germany, Italy and Japan, to get them to persuade companies in their countries to avoid using equipment from Huawei, the Wall Street Journal reported last week.



In 2016, the Commerce Department sought information regarding whether Huawei was possibly sending U.S. technology to Syria and North Korea as well as Iran. The U.S. previously banned ZTE Corp, a Huawei competitor, for violating a sanctions settlement over transactions with Iran and North Korea.


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