US agrees deal to free Huawei boss arrested in Canada over fraud charges since 2018

Huawei Chief Financial Officer, Meng Wanzhou held in Canada on US fraud charges since 2018 could be freed as soon as possible after the US government said it would submit a “resolution” to the case against her.

Wanzhou, was detained in December 2018 at the request of the US sparking an international row, while straining China’s relations with the US and Canada.

On Friday, September 24, the US Department of Justice said it would submit, along with lawyers for Ms Meng, a “resolution” to the case.

If the charges against her are dropped, her extradition case in Canada will be thrown out and she could be freed almost immediately.

The US alleges Ms Meng misled the bank HSBC over the true nature of Huawei’s relationship with a company called Skycom, putting the bank at risk of violating US sanctions against Iran.

Huawei has faced accusations that the Chinese authorities could use its equipment for espionage – allegations it denies.

In 2019, the US imposed sanctions on Huawei and placed it on an export blacklist, cutting it off from key technologies.

The UK, Sweden, Australia, Japan have also banned Huawei, while other countries including France and India have adopted measures stopping short of an outright ban.

Ms Meng joined the company in 1999 and became its chief finance officer (CFO) in 2011.

She is the elder daughter of billionaire Ren Zhengfei, who set up Huawei in 1987, building it up to become one of the biggest technology firms in the world.