Key Points
- A U.S. judge ruled that Huawei must face a criminal trial on charges of technology theft and fraud.
- The company is accused of stealing trade secrets from six American companies.
- Prosecutors also claim Huawei lied to banks to hide its business dealings in Iran.
- Huawei had tried to get most of the charges dismissed but was unsuccessful. The trial is currently scheduled to begin in May 2026.
A U.S. judge has rejected Huawei’s attempt to dismiss most of a major criminal indictment, meaning the Chinese tech giant must face charges that it stole trade secrets from American rivals and lied to banks about its business activities in Iran.
In a detailed decision, U.S. District Judge Ann Donnelly stated that prosecutors have presented sufficient evidence for the case to proceed. The indictment accuses Huawei of engaging in a long-running racketeering scheme to build its brand, which included stealing technology from at least six U.S. companies.
The judge also upheld the bank fraud charges, which center on Huawei’s alleged control over a Hong Kong company named Skycom that did business in Iran. Prosecutors claim that Huawei used Skycom as a front to conceal its Iranian operations, resulting in banks processing over $100 million in transactions that may have violated U.S. sanctions.
Huawei had pleaded not guilty and argued that it was a “prosecutorial target in search of a crime,” requesting that 13 of the 16 counts be dismissed. With this request now denied, the company is scheduled to stand trial in May 2026, a proceeding that could last several months.
This case is part of a years-long standoff between the United States and Huawei. The U.S. government has restricted the company’s access to American technology since 2019, citing national security threats, which Huawei denies.
