Recently, prosecutors from the United States filed a number of criminal charges against Chinese tech giant Huawei. While pressures continue to pile up against the company, Huawei denied any wrongdoings and continue to claim innocence. Huawei also rejects a number of criminal cases filed against its Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou who was arrested last month in Canada.
Among the charges filed against Huawei are obstruction of justice, bank fraud, and the most talked about the case regarding the theft of technology and a number of intellectual properties. While this particular case has yet to raise major political concerns, many observers have noted that it will no doubt hurt the already bruised relationship between China and the United States.
In a statement released to the press, Huawei said that it is "disappointed to learn of the charges brought against the company." The company added that it is not aware of the wrongdoings that are being accused of its embattled financial officer.
Regarding the accusations of stealing trade secrets, Huawei that this particular subject was already settled in a civil suit. On the subject of the said civil suit, the tech giant pointed out that the jury found "neither damages nor willful and malicious conduct."
Based on court documents, U.S. prosecutors allege Huawei of misleading the United States and a particular global bank regarding the company's business relationship with two subsidiaries. These subsidiaries are Huawei Device USA and Skycom Tech, both were alleged to be doing business with Iran.
There is also a second allegation claiming that Huawei stole technology from T-Mobile, a phone company operating in the United States. According to the allegation, the technology was used in testing the durability of smartphones. Regarding this allegation, Huawei said that it had already settled it in a civil case which was filed in 2014.
In total, the United States slapped Huawei with a total of 23 charges. Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Christopher Wray said, "These charges lay bare Huawei's alleged blatant disregard for the laws of our country and standard global business practices.
Mr. Wray added that companies like Huawei pose threat to the country's national security and economy.
Huawei continues to stand as one of the standout success stories in the tech industry. The company reported revenue of $8.2 billion in 2009. In just a span of less than a decade, Huawei was able to boost its annual revenue to $91 billion in 2017.
