US Drops Charges Against Huawei CFO

Prosecutors told a judge to dismiss charges against Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou, the daughter of founder Ren Zhengfei. A deal reached in September 2021 with US prosecutors involving the withdrawal of an extradition request relating to fraud charges, required the government to drop criminal charges against Meng on 1 December if the conditions of the agreement were met.

With no violation of the deal, the US government moved to dismiss the indictment against Meng, Reuters reported. The deal in 2021 paved the way for Meng to return to China after being held in Canada for nearly three years on fraud charges at the request of the US. In addition to being CFO, Meng is deputy chair and a rotating chair.

Huawei continues to face charges in the fraud case related to violating US sanctions against Iran, which is pending in a US district court, Reuters noted. In the months following Meng’s arrest, the US hit Huawei with various trade sanctions, including adding it to a list of businesses barred from buying components from domestic companies. The US claims Huawei’s equipment is a national security risk.