An admission by a top Huawei Technologies Co. executive that the Chinese telecom company carried out illegal actions in Iran could be used in the upcoming U.S. trial against Huawei, according to a judge’s ruling filed in Brooklyn federal court on Tuesday.
CFO Meng Wanzhou confessed as part of a 2021 deal to drop the criminal charges she faced in the case. In a four-page statement of facts, Meng admitted to lying to a financial institution about Huawei’s compliance with sanctions and the Export Control Act.
“Meng was — and remains — Huawei’s chief financial officer,” U.S. District Judge Anne Donnelly wrote in her ruling that the statement was admissible at trial.
“Huawei Tech should not be able to dispute that acknowledging its chief executive’s statement about its conduct in relation to its employment – which Huawei Tech has made – violates Huawei Tech’s rights.”
Donnelly rejected Huawei’s argument that prosecutors cannot use Meng’s confession against it because the company has the right to remain silent despite her statement. The judge also said it was not necessary for Huawei to be cross-examined during the trial.
A Huawei spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
