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The chief financial officer of Chinese technology maker Huawei, Meng Wanzhou, returned to China on Saturday (25), after nearly three years under house arrest in Canada, accused of financial fraud in the United States.
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On Friday (24), Wanzhou reached an agreement with US prosecutors, who withdrew an extradition request and won his freedom, at a court hearing in Vancouver. Soon after, she left the country for the Chinese city of Shenzhen.
In the deal, the executive reportedly agreed to admit that she had committed crimes. She was accused of violating the sanctions imposed by the US government on Iran.
In 2018, a New York court issued an arrest warrant for Meng, accused of lying to HSBC bank about Huawei’s dealings with the Skycom subsidiary, which sold equipment to Iran, putting the bank in danger of violating US sanctions against Iran.
Meng is the daughter of Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei. The company is the world’s largest manufacturer of telecommunications equipment and the second-largest manufacturer of smartphones.
The case damaged China’s relations with the United States and Canada. It also generated accusations that China detained Canadian citizens in retaliation, which the country has denied.
Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor were arrested in China in 2018 on charges of espionage and theft of state secrets. According to Chinese authorities, Kovrig “seriously” violated the country’s laws, acted as a “spy” and “stole state secrets” through businessman Spavor.
Kovrig and Michael Spavor were also released on Friday (24) and have already returned to Canada, in an apparent act of reciprocity from Beijing, according to Reuters.
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