US wants to charge Huawei exec with fraud over Iran: reports

U.S. prosecutors want to charge an executive for Chinese telecom giant Huawei with fraud related to allegations that she skirted sanctions against Iran, a Canadian prosecutor said in court on Friday.

Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou was arrested by Canadian authorities last Saturday at the request of the U.S. after allegedly violating trade sanctions against Iran.

The charges against Meng relate to Huawei’s relationship with SkyCom, a company that reportedly tried to sell computer equipment to Iran, according to The Wall Street Journal.{mosads}

The Canadian prosecutor, John Gibb-Carsley, alleged that Meng lied to financial institutions to hide the fact that SkyCom was a subsidiary of Huawei, according to the Journal.

“This is the crux, I say, of the alleged fraud,” Gibb-Carsley said.

Meng, the daughter of Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei, sat on SkyCom’s board of directors between 2008 and 2009.

The court is currently considering whether she should be granted bail, as the U.S. seeks extradition.

Meng’s arrest, news of which emerged Wednesday, has stoked concerns about renewed trade tensions between the U.S. and China.

A spokesman for the U.S. Department of Justice declined to comment when contacted by The Hill.