Huawei’s offices in France raided by financial prosecutors

By Chris Liakos and Mylene Loubiere-Anderson, CNN

Published 6:00 AM EST, Fri February 9, 2024

Huawei's head office in France.

Paris/Hong KongCNN —

The French offices of Chinese tech giant Huawei were searched this week, the company confirmed Friday, saying it was fully cooperating with the authorities.

A French judicial source told CNN Thursday that the raid had been carried out as part of a preliminary probe launched by the financial prosecutor’s office over alleged “breach of probity,” a broad term concerning offenses such as acts of corruption, favoritism and influence peddling.

The source did not provide any further details about the investigation. A preliminary investigation does not imply any wrongdoing.

The Shenzhen-based firm told CNN that the search had taken place Tuesday.

“Huawei has been in France for over 20 years, and has been in compliance with the laws and regulations applicable in the country. While Huawei France does not wish to comment on an ongoing investigation, the company remains confident about its conclusions,” a spokesperson said.

In 2020, the company announced that it would build a factory in France making wireless communications equipment, with a €200 million ($215 million) investment and manufacturing €1 billion ($1.08 billion) worth of products annually. A number of European countries later either banned Huawei from their 5G telecom networks or restricted the company’s role in the networks.

Speaking to French public radio in December, Minggang Zhang, deputy general manager of Huawei France, said the factory would begin operations by the end of 2025 in the Alsace region.

“Every year, we invest some €80 million or more in research in France,” Zhang told radio network France Inter. “France’s tech ecosystem is extremely innovative and dynamic.”

He said the plant would supply the entire European market with 5G equipment and eventually create 500 jobs.

Huawei’s offices in France raided by financial prosecutors

华为在法国的办公室被金融检察官突击搜查

The French offices of Chinese tech giant Huawei were searched this week, the company confirmed Friday, saying it was fully cooperating with the authorities.

中国科技巨头华为周五证实，该公司在法国的办公室本周遭到了搜查，并表示充分与当局合作。

A French judicial source told CNN Thursday that the raid had been carried out as part of a preliminary probe launched by the financial prosecutor’s office over alleged “breach of probity,” a broad term concerning offenses such as acts of corruption, favoritism and influence peddling.

一位法国司法消息人士星期四告诉CNN，这次突袭是金融检察官办公室对所谓的“违反廉洁”展开的初步调查的一部分，“违反廉洁”是一个广泛的术语，涉及腐败、偏袒和贿赂等罪行。

The source did not provide any further details about the investigation. A preliminary investigation does not imply any wrongdoing.

消息人士没有提供有关调查的任何进一步细节。初步调查并不意味着存在不法行为。

The Shenzhen-based firm told CNN that the search had taken place Tuesday.

这家总部位于深圳的公司告诉CNN，是在周二进行的搜查。

“Huawei has been in France for over 20 years, and has been in compliance with the laws and regulations applicable in the country. While Huawei France does not wish to comment on an ongoing investigation, the company remains confident about its conclusions,” a spokesperson said.

“华为在法国已经20多年了，一直遵守该国的法律法规。虽然华为法国公司不想对正在进行的调查发表评论，但公司对其结论仍有信心”，一名发言人说道。

In 2020, the company announced that it would build a factory in France making wireless communications equipment, with a €200 million ($215 million) investment and manufacturing €1 billion ($1.08 billion) worth of products annually. A number of European countries later either banned Huawei from their 5G telecom networks or restricted the company’s role in the networks.

2020年，该公司宣布将在法国建造一家生产无线通信设备的工厂，投资2亿欧元（2.15亿美元），每年生产价值10亿欧元（10.8亿美元）的产品。后来，一些欧洲国家禁止华为进入其5G电信网络，或者限制该公司在网络中的地位。

Speaking to French public radio in December, Minggang Zhang, deputy general manager of Huawei France, said the factory would begin operations by the end of 2025 in the Alsace region.

12月，华为法国公司副总经理张明刚在接受法国公共电台采访时表示，该工厂将于2025年底在Alsace地区开始运营。

“Every year, we invest some €80 million or more in research in France,” Zhang told radio network France Inter. “France’s tech ecosystem is extremely innovative and dynamic.”

张在接受法国国际广播电台采访时表示：“我们每年在法国的研究投资约8000万欧元，可能还要更多，法国的科技生态系统极具创新性和活力。”

He said the plant would supply the entire European market with 5G equipment and eventually create 500 jobs.

他表示，该工厂将为整个欧洲市场提供5G设备，并最终创造500个就业机会。