US probe into Huawei includes accusations of bank fraud and sanctions violations: Reuters

Alexander Bibik | Reuters

Meng Wanzhou, Executive Board Director of the Chinese technology giant Huawei, attends a session of the VTB Capital Investment Forum “Russia Calling!” in Moscow, Russia October 2, 2014. 

Chinese telecoms giant Huawei’s chief financial officer was arrested as part of a U.S. investigation into an alleged scheme to use the global banking system to evade U.S. sanctions against Iran, according to sources familiar with the situation.

The United States has been looking into whether Huawei Technologies Ltd violated U.S. sanctions against Iran since at least 2016 and more recently the company’s use of HSBC Holdings Plc to make illegal transactions involving Iran.

In 2012, HSBC paid $1.92 billion and entered into a deferred prosecution agreement with the U.S. attorney in Brooklyn for violating U.S. sanctions and money-laundering laws.

An HSBC spokesperson declined to comment. Huawei also declined to comment. A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s office in Brooklyn, which Reuters has reported is investigating Huawei, declined to comment.

HSBC is not under investigation, according to a person familiar with the matter.