Huawei CFO Arrested in Canada as U.S. Seeks Her Extradition

Huawei’s CFO Wanzhou Meng was arrested in Vancouver in connection with potential violations by the company of U.S. sanctions on Iran, according to Bloomberg.

Meng, who is also the deputy chairwoman of the company and a daughter of the founder, is facing potential extradition to the U.S., Ian McLeod, a Canada Justice Department spokesman, said in an email. Her arrest Dec. 1 came after the U.S. Department of Justice in April opened an investigation into whether the smartphone and telecommunications giant sold equipment to Iran despite sanctions on exporting 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.“

“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.“