US prosecutors on Thursday asked a judge to dismiss bank fraud and other charges against Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of Huawei Technologies in China, whose arrest in 2018 strained US-China relations.
Meng reached an agreement with prosecutors last year to have the charges against her dropped on December 1, 2022, four years from the date of her arrest in Canada under a US warrant, Reuters first reported. .
In the absence of information, Meng violated the agreement, “the government respectfully requests that the third substitute charge be dismissed in this case involving defendant Wanzhou Meng,” Brooklyn attorney Carolyn Pokorny wrote in a letter. of December 1 in the United States District Judge. Anne Donnelly.
Thursday’s decision, though expected, closes a chapter on a particularly tense phase in US-China relations that has also pushed Canada into the midst of a wider confrontation between the two superpowers.
Meng had been charged with bank fraud and other crimes for deceiving global bank HSBC Holdings Plc about the company’s operations in Iran to obtain banking services in violation of US sanctions.
As part of his deal — a deferred prosecution deal — he admitted making false statements about the company’s Iranian activities during a 2013 meeting with a bank executive.
Meng’s false statements were in a statement of fact that she agreed was accurate and intentional and she would not contradict.
Huawei has yet to face the charges
Huawei, a telecommunications equipment maker that the United States considers a threat to national security, remains indicted in the case, which is pending in US District Court in Brooklyn, New York. No trial date has yet been set, and a status briefing is scheduled for Feb. 27. Seven.
The allegations against Huawei include everything from bank fraud and failure to comply with sanctions, to conspiracy to steal trade secrets from US tech companies and obstructing justice. He pleaded not guilty.
WATCH | Canada makes a long-awaited decision on Huawei:
The federal government has announced it will ban Chinese telecom giant Huawei from accessing Canada’s 5G network for national security reasons.
As a result of its alleged activities, Huawei was added to a US trade ban list, preventing US suppliers from doing business with the company.
The United States has also waged a global campaign against Huawei, warning that the Chinese government could use the company’s equipment for espionage.
Just this week, the US Federal Communications Commission approved final rules banning Huawei’s new telecommunications equipment.
Meng, daughter of Huawei founder and CEO Ren Zhengfei, is now the company’s president and rotating vice president, as well as chief financial officer.
She flew to China from Canada on September 24, 2021, the day she closed the deal. Two Canadians arrested in China shortly after his arrest were later released – Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor – and two American brothers who had been prevented from leaving China were allowed to return home.
Months after the two Canadians were released, Ottawa followed its Five Eyes security allies like Britain and Australia in banning Huawei from Canada’s 5G networks.
A lawyer for Meng declined to comment, and a Huawei spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
