Phil Noble/Reuters
Canada has arrested the chief financial officer of Chinese telecom company Huawei Technologies over allegations she violated U.S. trade sanctions against Iran. Wanzhou Meng, who is the daughter of company founder Ren Zhengfei and also the deputy chair of Huawei’s board, was arrested in Vancouver at the request of U.S. authorities and is facing extradition. “Wanzhou Meng was arrested in Vancouver on December 1. She is sought for extradition by the United States, and a bail hearing has been set for Friday,” Justice Department spokesperson Ian McLeod said in a statement to The Globe and Mail. “As there is a publication ban in effect, we cannot provide any further detail at this time.” According to Bloomberg, the Chinese embassy in Canada demanded later Wednesday that Meng be freed in order for the U.S. and Canada to “rectify wrongdoings.”
The moves comes just two weeks after the U.S. government reportedly urged foreign allies to avoid using the company’s telecommunications equipment over cybersecurity fears. Since at least 2016, U.S. authorities have been investigating whether Huawei violated U.S. sanctions against Iran.