Huawei Technologies said it will “vigorously oppose” a motion filed by US prosecutors on Thursday to disqualify its lead defense lawyer from a case accusing the Chinese company of bank fraud and sanctions violations.
“NO FACTS THAT WOULD JUSTIFY DISQUALIFYING OUR LAWYER”
According to a filing in the US District Court in Brooklyn, New York, the US government sought to remove James Cole from the case. Cole was the No.2 official at the Justice Department between 2011 and 2015, a period when the United States was obtaining information on how Huawei might have been doing business in Iran in violation of US sanctions.
The filing did not make public why it is seeking to remove Cole from the case. In a letter to the court, prosecutors said they had filed a sealed, classified motion to disqualify Cole and expected to file a public version by May 10. Cole, the former US deputy attorney general, is now a partner at law firm Sidley Austin in Washington. He declined to comment.
Huawei said in an emailed statement to Reuters that it chose Jim Cole as its lawyer in 2017. “We have seen no facts from the government that would justify disqualifying him and denying Huawei its constitutional rights. Huawei will vigorously oppose the government’s motion,” it said.
The case against Huawei has ratcheted up tensions between Beijing and Washington as the world’s two economic powers try to close a trade deal.