Investigation under way, Polish authorities explain

Jan 11, 2019 10:54 GMT  ·  By

A Huawei employee and a former Polish security agent who previously worked for Orange have been arrested in Poland on claims that they’ve been spying for China.

Quoting local news channel TVPInfo, Bloomberg reports that the two, Huawei employee and Chinese citizen Weijing W. and former Polish high-rank official Piotr D. are both detained and will stay in custody for three months.

While specifics on their alleged spying activities haven’t been shared, Polish police raided Orange Polska offices and seized materials that were believed to be related to Piotr D’s activities.

Huawei has already confirmed the investigation and reiterated that the company doesn’t violate any laws in the countries where it operates.

“We are aware of the situation, and we are looking into it. We have no comment for the time being,” Huawei said in a statement for Reuters.

“Huawei complies with all applicable laws and regulations in the countries where it operates, and we require every employee to abide by the laws and regulations in the countries where they are based,” it added.

Investigation under way

State news agency PAP cited Maciej Wasik, the deputy head of Poland’s special services, as saying that an investigation is under way, suggesting that the two indeed worked for two technology companies.

“The Chinese national is a businessman working in a major electronics company ... the Pole is a person known in circles associated with cyber business,” he said.

Huawei has been repeatedly accused of spying for China in the last six months, with several governments recommending against using its equipment due to ties with Beijing. In December, Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou was arrested in Canada due to alleged violations of US trade sections and is now facing extradition to the United States.

Huawei has until now denied any collaboration with the Chinese authorities and pledged to invest millions in cybersecurity in the next five years.