Huawei denies all 23 indictments levelled against it by the US
Huawei has denied a series of criminal charges levelled at it by the US last night.
The Department of Justice accused China’s premier smartphone maker of stealing trade secrets and defrauding banks into breaking sanctions against Iran.
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Huawei denied wrongdoing in a statement this morning, and also claimed innocence on behalf of its chief financial officer, Meng Wanzhou, who is on bail in Canada facing extradition to the US.
US prosecutors also said the firm and its CFO, along with two affiliated companies, have committed wire fraud, obstructed justice and have conspired in relation to several Iran deals.
Today Huawei denied all charges levelled against it.
The technology firm said it was “disappointed” at the indictments, adding that it did not commit “any of the asserted violations”.
Huawei added that it “is not aware of any wrongdoing by Ms Meng”.
Its full statement read: "Huawei is disappointed to learn of the charges brought against the company today. After Ms Meng’s arrest, the company sought an opportunity to discuss the Eastern District of New York investigation with the Justice Department, but the request was rejected without explanation.
"The allegations in the Western District of Washington trade secret indictment were already the subject of a civil suit that was settled by the parties after a Seattle jury found neither damages nor willful and malicious conduct on the trade secret claim.
"The company denies that it or its subsidiary or affiliate have committed any of the asserted violations of US law set forth in each of the indictments, is not aware of any wrongdoing by Ms Meng, and believes the US courts will ultimately reach the same conclusion."
A separate 10-count charge sheet accused Huawei of stealing IP from US rival T-Mobile as well as offering financial incentives to staff who managed to access rival technology.
China’s foreign ministry spoke out against the charges last night, calling for the US to stop the “unreasonable suppression” of Chinese companies.
Altogether, the US has laid 23 charges at Huawei’s door, with FBI director Christopher Wray saying: “These charges lay bare Huawei's alleged blatant disregard for the laws of our country and standard global business practices.”
Huawei was sued by T-Mobile in 2014 and found guilty for both breach of contract and theft of trade secrets in 2017.
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The US has accused Huawei of lying to a global bank and US authorities about its relationship with Iranian subsidiary Skycom Tech to continue to pursue business in the country while violating US sanctions that President Trump has reinstated.