Huawei pleads not guilty in US trade-secrets case as Canadian decision on Meng Wanzhou’s extradition looms
- Huawei denies in a Seattle court that it engaged in a scheme to steal trade secrets from T-Mobile, committed wire fraud and obstructed justice
- A ruling by Canada is expected on Friday on whether extradition hearings against Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou should proceed
Huawei Technologies has pleaded not guilty to US charges of trade-secrets theft, a day before the company learns if Canada will start extradition proceedings against its chief financial officer in a pivotal week that could see diplomatic tensions flare.
China’s biggest smartphone maker and its US affiliate appeared in federal court in Seattle on Thursday morning to answer to charges that they engaged in a scheme to steal trade secrets from T-Mobile US and also committed wire fraud and obstruction of justice. The plea was entered before US District Judge Ricardo Martinez, and a trial was scheduled for March 2, 2020.
The arraignment comes just a day before Canada’s deadline to decide whether to officially order the start of extradition hearings against Huawei Chief Financial Officer Sabrina Meng Wanzhou, who is wanted in the US on fraud charges.
In a separate indictment filed in Brooklyn, US prosecutors allege she lied to banks to trick them into processing transactions for Huawei that potentially violated Iran trade sanctions.