US Criminal Case Against Huawei to Start in 2026

A criminal case against Huawei by the US Department of Justice is provisionally scheduled to commence in January 2026. The case will end up in court negotiations on a settlement hit a block.

The date was set as a placeholder by a judge during a hearing to provide an update on progress in the long-running case, including toward a potential settlement. The case has been ongoing since 2018 and charges surrounded accusations the company misled banks about its dealings in Iran, among various other complaints including some related to trade secrets.

At the hearing, prosecutors reportedly confirmed talks between the parties were at an impasse, and suggested their case alone could take four to six months to hear. Huawei’s legal representative agreed to the pre-trial schedule but intended to file a motion to have the case split into two, with the fraud charges separated from those related to trade secrets.

As part of initial allegations related to its dealing in Iran, in December 2018 the then Huawei CFO Sabrina Meng was detained in Canada on request of the US. She was released in September 2021 following an agreement with US authorities, with charges eventually dropped.