Huawei executive detained in Poland on allegations of spying

An executive at Huawei has been arrested by the Polish authorities on allegations of spying, according to a BBC report.

In a statement it said the man, who goes by the name of Wang Weijing, put the company into “disrepute”.

A former counter-intelligence officer was also arrested and accused of the same allegations.

Huawei executive arrest

A spokesman for Poland’s security services told Reuters that the allegation related to the two individuals wasn’t linked to Huawei itself.

However, Karol Okonski, a government official responsible for cybersecurity within the country, told Reuters that the government will review the use of Huawei equipment used by bodies dealing with sensitive information.

“We will analyze whether… our decision can include an end to the use… of Huawei products,” Okonski said. He added that an “abrupt” policy changes towards Huawei was not warranted after the arrests.

Polish authorities also searched Wang’s home and Huawei’s Polish offices, the Business Times reported.

International scrutiny

Huawei has faced increased scrutiny in recent months over its alleged relationship with the Chinese government, and its alleged espionage operations in countries like the US.

China and Huawei itself have denied the accusations.

Last month Huawei’s CFO, Meng Wanzhou, was arrested in Canada at the request of the US and faces extradition to the US on fraud charges related to Huawei’s business dealings in Iran.

In a statement, Huawei said it “complies with all applicable laws and regulations in the countries where it operates, and we require every employee to abide by the laws and regulations in the countries where they are based”.

Both men were arrested on Tuesday Jan 8th, but weren’t charged. If convicted, they could face up to 10 years in prison.

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