Huawei Global CFO Arrested In Canada, Faces Extradition To US

Huawei’s chief financial officer, Meng Wanzhou, has been arrested in Vancouver, Canada at the request of the United States government. The top executive was detained for allegedly attempting to circumvent the current U.S. trade embargo with Iran.

The Dec. 1 arrest of the executive, who is also the daughter of Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei, was first reported by The Globe and Mail. The Canadian Justice Department reportedly said that the U.S. government is seeking to extradite Meng from Canada to the United States. A bail hearing has been set for Friday, Dec. 7.

Huawei has since confirmed to TechCrunch that Meng has indeed been arrested, but the company said that she was facing unspecified charges.

“The company has been provided very little information regarding the charges and is not aware of any wrongdoing by Ms. Meng,” a Huawei spokesperson 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.”

An unnamed Canadian source claimed that Meng was arrested because the executive may have violated the U.S. trade embargo that was imposed on Iran. Since April of this year, Huawei has been under investigation by the U.S. government for allegedly shipping products that have parts owned by U.S.-based companies to countries that are under U.S. trade sanctions, as pointed out by Android Authority.

The Chinese embassy in Ottawa has opposed the arrest of Meng, asserting that she didn’t violate any Canadian or American law. The Chinese embassy has also demanded for her immediate release, stating that the actions “seriously harmed the human rights of the victim.”

“The Chinese side has lodged stern representations with the U.S. and Canadian side, urged them to immediately correct the wrongdoing and restore the personal liberty of Ms. Meng Wanzhou. We will closely follow the development of the issue and take all measures to resolutely protect the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese citizen,” the Chinese embassy said in a statement.

Huawei has been at odds with the U.S. government since 2016, when U.S. officials began voicing concerns that the company’s equipment may be used to spy on American citizens.

In August, President Donald Trump signed a bill that bans all U.S. government employees from using any of Huawei’s technologies and services. In the same month, Australia banned Huawei’s 5G equipment due to national security concerns. New Zealand followed suit just last week, as per Bloomberg.