China’s Huawei Technologies chief financial officer has been arrested in Canada. And is facing extradition to the U.S. The reason behind the arrest is the alleged involvement of the CFO working with Iran, violating the U.S. trade sanctions.
CFO, Wanzhou Meng is also the deputy chair on Huawei’s board. Interestingly, the arrested CFO is also the daughter of founder Ren Zhengfei. Meng was arrested at the request of American law enforcement authorities in Vancouver.
Meng was arrested on December 1 and the bail hearing is scheduled for Friday. According to The Globe and Mail, Meng has requested for press ban on publication of the proceedings. A step to preserve the company’s reputation. In a statement, Justice Department spokesman Ian Mcleod said “Wanzhou Meng was arrested in Vancouver on December 1. She is sought for extradition by the United States, and a bail hearing has been set for Friday.”
US Charge Against the Huawei’s CFO
Canadian sources have revealed that the arrest took place on the behest of the U.S. alleging the involvement of Ms. Meng evading the United States trade ban on Iran. There has been no other update so far with regards to this allegation by the U.S.
The American prosecutors in New York have been investigating this case since April.
Huawei in a statement has told the press that Ms. Meng is charged with unspecified charges by prosecutors in New York. She was arrested while she was transferring flights in Vancouver airport. The officials also stated that they believe that there’s no wrongdoing by Ms. Meng and that she will be released soon by the authorities. According to the sources, the company maintains that they have not violated any trade sanctions and always follow the rules and regulations of the country in which it’s operating.
Chinese Embassy’s Stance
The Chinese embassy in Ottawa has strongly come forward in protest of Ms.Meng’s arrest and said that the company has not violated any rules or regulations. The embassy has also demanded a quick release of the executive. According to the Chinese diplomats, both the Canadian and the American authorities have violated the human rights of Ms. Meng. It also said that it will closely follow the development of this issue and will take all necessary steps to protect its citizen’s rights against any adversary.
In protest, the Chinese Ambassador to Canada, Lu Shaye has canceled his appearance before the House of Commons foreign affairs committee. Which was to take place on Thursday.
Recently, Trump has been vehemently opposing the Chinese firm Huawei for its businesses. And he had asked other friendly nations to ditch the company for its telecommunications services, citing the founder’s previous role with the Chinese intelligence agency. Countries such as Australia, the UK, and New Zealand have heeded to this advice by Trump. Only Portugal presently is going ahead with Huawei for its 5G network installations.