Huawei racketeering trial enters second day of testimony

Key witnesses are expected to testify in Chinese tech giant Huawei Technologies’ landmark criminal case on Thursday in Brooklyn, New York, as it enters its second day of testimony.It comes after a US government lawyer told federal jurors on the opening day that Huawei engaged in criminal activities to achieve “growth at any cost”, while a lawyer for the company said that Huawei employees deemed to have broken company policies were punished for their actions.Brian Heberlig, of US law firm Steptoe, also said on Wednesday in his opening statement that the 2021 admission of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou to violating US sanctions on Iran should not be viewed as a “confession” as Meng did not admit to deliberately deceiving any government officials or banks, or that anyone else at Huawei acted with criminal intent.The admission was part of a “negotiated statement of fact” reached with the US government, the defence lawyer said.The remarks were a response to the opening statement by the federal prosecution, which highlighted Meng’s admission made “under oath” as key evidence that Huawei became one of the world’s leading telecoms companies through “theft, lies [and] cover-ups”.Justice Department lawyer Taylor Stout told jurors that a “culture of crime” had existed at Huawei for over 20 years, stemming from the top leadership including founder Ren Zhengfei and his daughter Meng.A courtroom sketch shows US District Judge Ann Donnelly presiding over the Huawei Technologies' criminal trial in Brooklyn, New York, on Wednesday. Photo: Reuters