The investigation is in the hands of the French financial prosecutor’s office. Under integrity violations, atteintes à la probité, include corruption, undue influence and illegal interests. However, it is currently unclear what exactly Huawei is suspected of.
In April 2022, the French business magazine ‘Challenges’ reported that the Nanterre public prosecutor’s office had launched a preliminary investigation into possible misuse of corporate assets and tax fraud at Huawei, and that the financial brigade in Paris had been ordered to do so. This happened after a report from the anti-corruption agency AFA in January 2021. However, according to AFP’s judicial source, the searches “are not part of an investigation that comes from Nanterre at the direction of the AFA”.
Huawei’s French headquarters, which has been present in the country since 2003, is located in the Parisian suburb of Boulogne-Billancourt. The telecom giant also has six research centers in France and a design center in Paris. The group is currently also building a factory in Alsace, its first outside China, with the aim of making network equipment for mobile networks from the end of 2025.
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