MEn Wanzhou, who was detained in Canada three years ago at the request of the United States, has entered into an agreement with the authorities. Huawei’s financial director will be allowed to return to China in exchange for a confession of violating American laws
Meng Wanzhou (center)
Huawei’s chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou has signed a deal with the US Justice Ministry, under which she will be able to return home to China three years after her detention in Canada. This is reported by The Wall Street Journal with reference to sources, the information is confirmed by Reuters.
According to the WSJ, according to the agreement, Wanzhou will have to admit the commission of some violations on its part, in return, the prosecutor’s office will postpone the prosecution, and later drop the charges of fraud. The agreement will be reviewed later on Friday in federal court in Brooklyn.
Representatives of Huawei and the Ministry of Justice declined to comment.
Wanzhou, the daughter of Huawei’s founder, was detained at Vancouver Airport in December 2018 at the request of the United States. The woman was accused of violating US sanctions against Iran. Washington believes that she carried out illegal transactions through the HSBC bank, accused of transferring funds to countries under US sanctions. Huawei’s financial director was placed under house arrest, now she is in Canada.
In March 2019, hearings on the extradition of Wanzhou to the United States began in Canada, they lasted until August 2021. The judge was expected to announce a decision on this issue in October.
Shortly after the arrest of Wanzhou, Chinese law enforcement agencies detained two Canadians-former diplomat Michael Kovrig and entrepreneur Michael Spavor. They were accused of stealing information that is important for the national interests of Beijing. In August, Spavor was sentenced to 11 years in prison, having been found guilty of espionage.
China denies that there is a connection between the cases of Huawei’s financial director, Kovrig and Spavor. However, according to Reuters and the WSJ, the lifting of charges against Wanzhou will lead to the removal of tension between the United States and China and may contribute to the release of the two Canadians.
The US authorities discussed the possibility of concluding a deal with Huawei’s financial director at the end of last year, when Donald Trump held the post of president of the country, the WSJ reports. At that time, progress could not be achieved, since prosecutors demanded that Wanzhou admit guilt in violating American laws, and she insisted on her innocence.
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