Huawei has reportedly fired Wang Weijing, an employee recently arrested in Poland on espionage charges. According to Reuters, Huawei made the sacking because it wanted to distance itself from the incident. This is not the first time a Huawei employee has been arrested, last month the founder’s daughter, Meng Wanzhou was arrested in Canada for breaking sanctions on Iran.
In a statement, Huawei said:
“[Wang’s] alleged actions have no relation to the company. In accordance with the terms and conditions of Huawei’s labor contract, we have made this decision because the incident has brought Huawei into disrepute. … Huawei complies with all applicable laws and regulations in the countries where it operates, and we require every employee to abide by laws and regulations in the countries where they are based.”
Wang Weijing was arrested on Friday along with a former Polish security official. A spokesperson for Polish security services said that the allegations being made against the two men pertain to individual actions and not directly to Huawei. Wang had been working for Huawei in Poland since 2011 and before that worked with the Chinese General Consul. The Chinese Foreign Ministry has asked Poland to treat the case justly.
Over the last year or so, Huawei has been feeling the heat from countries all around the world as governments have opted to cancel contracts with the Chinese firm over security risks alleged by the United States. In retaliation, Huawei asked the U.S. to reveal its evidence that it is a security risk.
Source: Reuters