New documents link Huawei to suspected front companies in Iran and Syria, and may bolster US case against Meng Wanzhou
- Three Chinese-named individuals had signing rights to bank accounts in Iran for both Huawei and Skycom, a company US prosecutors claim Huawei controlled
- A Huawei executive appears to have been appointed Skycom’s Iran manager, while a lawyer said Huawei operated in Syria via another company, Canicula
The US case against the chief financial officer of China’s Huawei Technologies, who was arrested in Canada last month, centres on the company’s suspected ties to two obscure companies.
One is a telecom equipment seller that operated in Tehran; the other is that firm’s owner, a holding company registered in Mauritius.
US authorities allege CFO Meng Wanzhou deceived international banks into clearing transactions with Iran – violating America’s sanctions on the country – by claiming the two companies were independent of Huawei, when in fact Huawei controlled them.
Huawei has maintained the two are independent: equipment seller Skycom Tech Co Ltd and shell company Canicula Holdings Ltd.
But corporate filings and other documents found by Reuters in Iran and Syria show that Huawei, the world’s largest supplier of telecommunications network equipment, is more closely linked to both firms than previously known.
The documents reveal that a high-level Huawei executive appears to have been appointed Skycom’s Iran manager. They also show that at least three Chinese-named individuals had signing rights for both Huawei and Skycom bank accounts in Iran.