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Huawei's CFO Is Being Accused of Fraud, and Her Main Defense Is a PowerPoint (theverge.com)

"Today, a bail hearing was held for Huawei's chief financial officer, who was arrested in Canada on Saturday at the request of U.S. law enforcement," reports The Verge. "The CFO, Meng Wanzhou, is facing extradition to the U.S. for conspiring to defraud banking institutions, according to the Star Vancouver." The Verge reports that her main defense is "a PowerPoint presentation that Meng had once given to explain to a bank in Hong Kong that Huawei had not violated any U.S. sanctions." From the report: Many lined up to see Meng's bail hearing today, after the extremely high-profile arrest that signified the first major break in a U.S. probe that has mostly been kept from the public. The U.S. has an arrest warrant out for Meng that was issued by a New York court on August 22nd. It has 60 days from the time of Meng's arrest on Saturday to provide Canadian courts with evidence and intent.

Meng served on the board for a Hong Kong-based company called Skycom, which allegedly did business with Iran between 2009 and 2014. U.S. banks worked with Huawei at this time, so Iran sanctions were violated indirectly, and Meng therefore committed fraud against these banks. Skycom reportedly had connections to Huawei and at the bail hearing today, Gibb-Carsley argued that Skycom was an unofficial subsidiary of Huawei's, using the same company logo. "Huawei is SkyCom," he said, "This is the crux, I say, of the alleged fraud."
The hearing also examined whether Meng would be a flight risk if she was granted the $1 million bail, part of the argument Gibb-Carsley was pushing. "Defense lawyer Martin responded by explaining the Chinese emphasis on saving face, and how Meng wouldn't want her father and Huawei to look bad. Even more than that, 'she would not embarrass China itself,' Martin said."

68 of 121 comments (clear)

  1. Did she keep a calendar? by haruchai · · Score: 3, Funny

    Without it, Brett Kavanagh's chances would have been boofed

    --
    Pain is merely failure leaving the body
    1. Re: Did she keep a calendar? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Where is the proof that he lied?

    2. Re: Did she keep a calendar? by mlyle · · Score: 1

      Quote it in full, pls, because it is not wonderful but not nearly as damning in context.

      What was your role in the original Haynes nomination and decision
      to renominate him? And at the time of the nomination, what
      did you know about Mr. Haynes’s role in crafting the administration’s
      detention and interrogation policies?

      Mr. KAVANAUGH. Senator, I did not—I was not involved and am
      not involved in the questions about the rules governing detention
      of combatants or—and so I do not have the involvement with that.
      And with respect to Mr. Haynes’s nomination, I’ve—I know Jim
      Haynes, but it was not one of the nominations that I handled. I
      handled a number of nominations in the Counsel’s Office. That was
      not one of the ones that I handled.

    3. Re: Did she keep a calendar? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

      The FBI interviewed several people. Everyone they interviewed on Kavanaugh's side backed him up. Everyone on Ford's side either couldn't help, contradicted her, or indicated they didn't believe her. Her own family refused to talk to the FBI. It was intentionally limited because the Democrats wanted an open, never-ending investigation like they're doing over the "Russia collusion" investigation.

      Kavanaugh got the nomination because he was one of the most moderate options under consideration (least likely to overturn Roe v. Wade) and he was Kennedy's pick. But keep it up with the conspiracy theories.

    4. Re: Did she keep a calendar? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

      They didn't interview Kavanaugh nor his (if you bothered seeing the testimony: incredibly brave, who knew this would probably not do anything other than damage her life, who passed a polygraph test) accuser. Not only that, they didn't interview other friends of Kavanaugh who were more than willing to say "he was lying" (as was seen on the more right wing newspapers that aren't Fox). Of course you bring up "Russia collusion", of course you're trying to project... because the FBI never bothered talking to Ford or Kavanaugh, so that "investigation" was a farce.

    5. Re: Did she keep a calendar? by gtall · · Score: 1

      Ah the Russia Investigation where upon the Big Question is: What did the President know and when did he stop knowing it?

    6. Re:Did she keep a calendar? by phantomfive · · Score: 1

      IT was all a distraction. He should have been rejected because his logic is weak and his writing poor.

      --
      "First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
    7. Re:Did she keep a calendar? by dcw3 · · Score: 1

      In other words, you don't like him. Got it.

      --
      Just another day in Paradise
    8. Re: Did she keep a calendar? by phantomfive · · Score: 1

      Yes, that's exactly right (although he seems fine at a personal level). There are definitely other judges who are more skillful when it comes to the law.

      --
      "First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
    9. Re: Did she keep a calendar? by dcw3 · · Score: 1

      My point is that even though I'm a conservative, I dislike him as well. That doesn't disqualify him. The elected president chose him and the Senate confirmed him. I wish our elected officials would stop trying to push the courts into following their ideologies and simply put forth the best legal scholars, but we don't live in Utopia, so here we are. There are a couple other justices that I don't think are the best (on both sides of the spectrum) as well, it doesn't mean their disqualified.

      --
      Just another day in Paradise
    10. Re: Did she keep a calendar? by phantomfive · · Score: 1

      Well. no one is disqualified if they get the vote. I think the argument should have centered around his incompetence as a judge rather than his calendar from 30 years ago.

      --
      "First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
    11. Re: Did she keep a calendar? by dcw3 · · Score: 1

      Agreed

      --
      Just another day in Paradise
    12. Re: Did she keep a calendar? by haruchai · · Score: 1

      "simply put forth the best legal scholars, but we don't live in Utopia, so here we are"
      one way to mitigate that is to have term limits for the SCOTUS.
      10-15 years is plenty with staggered retirements so that you don't have a plurality of justices being replaced in a very short period.

      --
      Pain is merely failure leaving the body
    13. Re: Did she keep a calendar? by haruchai · · Score: 1

      Well. no one is disqualified if they get the vote. I think the argument should have centered around his incompetence as a judge rather than his calendar from 30 years ago.

      Once he introduced that calendar, his nomination should have been boofed.
      It clearly showed that an incident as described by Blasey-Ford could have happened on or around July 4th.
      And his conduct was unbecoming a traffic court witness, let alone a high ranking judge

      --
      Pain is merely failure leaving the body
    14. Re: Did she keep a calendar? by dcw3 · · Score: 1

      So, how do you then avoid judges making decisions in favor of people/companies who they'll be working for when their time is up? Term limits doesn't only get rid of the less qualified, it gets rid of the top qualified. I'm all for term limits in Congress and Executive office. Not so much for SCOTUS.

      --
      Just another day in Paradise
    15. Re: Did she keep a calendar? by haruchai · · Score: 1

      So, how do you then avoid judges making decisions in favor of people/companies who they'll be working for when their time is up? Term limits doesn't only get rid of the less qualified, it gets rid of the top qualified. I'm all for term limits in Congress and Executive office. Not so much for SCOTUS.

      There's nothing *now* from preventing that scary scenario of yours. Federal judges make $200k - 270k which is chump change for industries wanting to reward their friends.
      In fact, it's likely that's been happening a lot in the past since their salaries were effectively stagnant or frozen for long stretches between 1990 and 2014
      http://www.uscourts.gov/judges...

      Being in favor of term limits for Congress but not for judges makes little sense; if they're corrupt, they'll cheat.
      The private sector can always throw much more money at them than the public purse.

      --
      Pain is merely failure leaving the body
    16. Re: Did she keep a calendar? by dcw3 · · Score: 1

      The part about it being illegal is preventing it. The way it's done w/o term limits by Congress and regulators is the revolving door, where they get paid big bucks when they exit government. If you don't exit, the only way to get paid is a flat out bribe. I'm not saying it never happens, but I think it's MUCH less likely with lifetime appointments.

      --
      Just another day in Paradise
  2. I use PowerPoints as defense too by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Your honor I could not have been selling pot, I was making this PowerPoint of Cheetos

  3. PowerPoint foils: Is there ANYTHING they can't do? by Rick+Schumann · · Score: 1

    The Earth is flat and the Moon landings were faked! Here, let me show you this PowerPoint presentation as proof!
    I just created a cure for cancer! Here, let me show you this PowerPoint presentation as proof!
    I absolutely did not have sex with that girl. Here, let me show you this PowerPoint presentation as proof!
    I know nothing about any 'tapes'; I am not a crook! Here, let me show you this PowerPoint presentation as proof!
    No collusion! Here, let me show you this PowerPoint presentation as proof!
    If the glove doesn't fit, you must acquit! Here, let me show you this PowerPoint presentation as proof!

  4. Pray away the gray by Tablizer · · Score: 1

    Lock up the faceless gray PowerPoint avatars!

    (Boy, I hated that "default avatar" fad. Every big tech co tried to be social media and have everybody upload their ugly mug. The default gray head is still in many products.)

    1. Re:Pray away the gray by Aighearach · · Score: 1

      Or, it was written by an Asgard wearing a wig.

  5. Chicom fraud by WCMI92 · · Score: 1

    That is not any kind of a surprise.

    --
    Corporatism != Free Market
  6. This is nonsensical by Volatile_Memory · · Score: 1

    I just read the article twice and Iâ(TM)m still very confused. But then again, I am also very drunk.

    --

    /**
    I have a "Zero Policy" tolerance.
    */

    1. Re:This is nonsensical by Sarten-X · · Score: 2, Informative

      Intoxication might also be the reason for the headline.

      When you sober up, here's a different summary: Huawei has ties to a company named SkyCom. SkyCom did business with Iran, while Huawei did business with US banks, and Huawei was saying (to the banks) that they weren't doing any business with Iran. Mrs. Meng is on the board for both companies.

      The real legal questions, then, are:

      • 1) Is SkyCom actually Huawei? The business ties seem to be close, but whether it's considered a separate entity enough that Huawei wouldn't be responsible is a complicated question, and likely needs more evidence than is available now.
      • 2) Whether Huawei (as a company) knew that SkyCom was dealing with Iran while Huawei was dealing with the US. If Huawei knew, then it's a pretty easy fraud case. If not, then there's really no case, because U.S. law is not enforceable on Chinese companies (despite the theories of the tinfoil-hat crowd).

      In short, her defense is saying that Huawei didn't know about SkyCom's dealings, and they're presenting an internal slideshow as evidence that Huawei (as a company) thought it wasn't violating sanctions. Even if that slide's statement is incorrect, it may be enough to start pushing the idea that Huawei was acting in good faith while talking with the U.S. banks.

      --
      You do not have a moral or legal right to do absolutely anything you want.
    2. Re:This is nonsensical by Sarten-X · · Score: 1

      My guess is this is just government doing their job and there is nothing nefarious here, or even related to Trump and all his shit show. I'd say let this play out.

      My guess is this is the USA trying to bully foreign companies again, using some of their idiot massively over-reaching "laws", whether ordered by Mr. Orange himself or not.

      My guess is that you don't understand the case. This is a U.S. law allegedly being broken, with U.S. victims, by a foreign person, by a person located (at the time of arrest) in a nation that agrees with American laws enough to sign a treaty to help enforce them.

      Now, I'd agree with you on sanctions being looking awfully close to the American government meddling in another nation's affairs, but that's really not what this case is about. The charge is conspiracy to defraud American banks.

      One test I like for whether a particular case deserves outrage is to use (to borrow a ridiculous phrase), alternative facts. Change anything irrelevant, and see if you still have the same moral conflicts. If changing some trivial detail changes your judgement of the situation, it's a sign of prejudice.

      From a legal standpoint, let's suppose that instead of Mrs. Meng, we have Mr. Smith. Instead of working financial deals, Mr. Smith sells real estate. Instead of promising compliance, Mr. Smith promises ownership of a nice little imaginary villa in the Mediterranean. Instead of (allegedly) lying to banks, Mr. Smith lies to potential buyers. Now, Mr. Smith was silly and/or ignorant enough to be found in Canada, which has laws against fraud. None of his scams have happened to affect Canadians, but Canada has agreed that fraud is bad regardless of who it impacts, and has arrested Mr. Smith based on the evidence provided.

      Is it still morally wrong to prosecute Mr. Smith for his fraud? Should a crime be forgiven just because the perpetrator happened to be in another country from their victim?

      --
      You do not have a moral or legal right to do absolutely anything you want.
    3. Re:This is nonsensical by dcw3 · · Score: 1

      "...U.S. law is not enforceable on Chinese companies (despite the theories of the tinfoil-hat crowd). "

      Huawei has a U.S. address. They do business in the U.S. Their money flows through U.S. banks. If you think the U.S. has no way to enforce penalties against them, you're delusional.

      --
      Just another day in Paradise
  7. Re:PowerPoint foils: Is there ANYTHING they can't by rmdingler · · Score: 1

    If the developers had realized how versatile PowerPoint was as a proof bringer, there's a fair chance everything would be proven... kind of like any belief set on the internet... oh, wait.

    --
    Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know.

    Ernest Hemingway

  8. The defense raps by SuperKendall · · Score: 1, Funny

    If my PowerPoint's Da Shit, you must Acquit!

    --
    "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
  9. High school letter by jader3rd · · Score: 1

    That's like being in high school, and writing a letter saying that you have your parents permission to not need your parents permission for things.

  10. I don't think I'd want to be an American in China by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Especially if I were involved in some high tech industry or IP transfer. How many Americans will be needed to trade for one Chinese high tech company officer?

  11. Why would she need a defence? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    When no proof of her offence had been shown?

    How could anyone prove innocence absence any evidence of a crime?

    So now In America you have to prove you had NOT committed any crime, rather than the prosecution proving that you had committed a crime?

    This is a kidnapping followed by a witch-hunt trial.

    Welcome to America, the land of kidnapping. This is no different from Somali pirates taking hostages for ransom.

    1. Re:Why would she need a defence? by haruchai · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Welcome to America, the land of kidnapping. This is no different from Somali pirates taking hostages for ransom

      You have no concept of how great America is. Those Somali losers have to go do their own kidnapping; the USA simply has to ask others like Canada (again) to do it for them

      --
      Pain is merely failure leaving the body
    2. Re:Why would she need a defence? by Actually,+I+do+RTFA · · Score: 2

      She's until proven guilty. If you want to prove that you shouldn't be extradited and face trial, they have a lower burden. Just like a grand jury has to agree you should be prosecuted before the trial starts. They don't need to believe it beyond a reasonable doubt, that's what the later trial is for.

      --
      Your ad here. Ask me how!
    3. Re:Why would she need a defence? by Archtech · · Score: 1

      So now In America you have to prove you had NOT committed any crime, rather than the prosecution proving that you had committed a crime?

      Well, that is so if you are (A) one of the least privileged 99.9%; or (B) a despised and hated foreigner.

      If you are one of the elite, there is hardly a law you cannot break (or, more precisely, ignore) with utter impunity. That's the way the system works, and that's the way it was set up to work back in 1776-94.

      --
      I am sure that there are many other solipsists out there.
    4. Re:Why would she need a defence? by dcw3 · · Score: 2

      Repeating your lie won't make it true...

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

      And those are only the fed. There has been a long list of governors, and mayors who are or have done time.

      Here are some CEOs for you. I won't bother you with the Martha Stewarts of the world.
      Jeff Skilling, former CEO of Enron
      Serving 24 years for fraud, insider trading, and other crimes related to the collapse of Enron
      Bernie Ebbers, former CEO of WorldCom
      Serving 25 years for accounting fraud that cost investors over $100 billion
      Dennis Kozlowski, former CEO of Tyco Serving 8 to 25 years for stealing $134 million from Tyco
      John Rigas, former CEO of Adelphia Communications Serving 25 years for bank, wire, and securities fraud related to the demise of Adelphia
      Sanjay Kumar, former CEO of Computer Associates Serving 12 years for obstruction of justice and securities fraud
      Walter Forbes, former CEO of Cendant Serving 12 years for fraud
      Richard Scrushy, former CEO of HealthSouth Serving 7 years for bribery and mail fraud
      Joseph Nacchio, former CEO of Qwest Communications
      Serving 6 years for insider trading
      Sam Waksal, former CEO of ImClone Served 7 years for securities fraud (released last year)
      Martin Grass, former CEO of Rite Aid Served 6 years for fraud and obstruction (just released this year)

      --
      Just another day in Paradise
  12. $1 million bail is a joke by Snotnose · · Score: 2

    She's worth much more than that, plus dad and/or the Chinese government will pay part of it. Guilty or innocent, put me in her place and I'm running home to China first chance I get.

    1. Re:$1 million bail is a joke by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      No... it's bait. They want her to bail out and run so there will be no trial and she can be assumed guilty.

    2. Re:$1 million bail is a joke by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      You might flee, such a high profile Chinese person would almost certainly not. The risk to her family back home (unlike America being rich doesn't protect you in China) and the embarrassment would be too much.

    3. Re:$1 million bail is a joke by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

      “Xi has thrown thousands of political enemies in Jail for fraud and money laundering charges

      See, fixed that for you.

    4. Re:$1 million bail is a joke by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      How far will you get with travel bans and no passport? You act like it's a case of spending a bit of money and then walking to the airport and waving goodbye. You will actually find yourself in a far more difficult position, even if you weren't in such a high profile situation.

      There's a reason we still talk about a certain high profile person who's still hiding in an embassy somewhere.

    5. Re:$1 million bail is a joke by Archtech · · Score: 1

      “Xi has thrown thousands of political enemies in Jail for fraud and money laundering charges

      See, fixed that for you.

      As is traditional on Slashdot, could you give us any evidence for your assertions? Any shred of evidence? Anything at all?

      Or is it just "Everyone knows the Chinese are wicked..."?

      --
      I am sure that there are many other solipsists out there.
    6. Re:$1 million bail is a joke by dk20 · · Score: 1

      Let me guess. Yet another person who probably doesnt even own a passport posting negative stories about China?

      Go back to FOX news.

    7. Re:$1 million bail is a joke by gtall · · Score: 1

      sheesh, do you really think China won't find a way to spirit her out of the country even with travel bands and no passport? What do you take the Chinese government for? Honorable civil servants who follow rule of law instead of the merry band of cut-throat power addicts who view the world as something to be cowed and owned into submission?

    8. Re:$1 million bail is a joke by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      sheesh, do you really think China won't find a way to spirit her out of the country even with travel bands and no passport? What do you take the Chinese government for?

      What do you take the Chinese government for? Have you been watching too many spy movies? They may find such a way, with incredibly difficulty and a fucking huge international relations debacle as a result.

    9. Re:$1 million bail is a joke by dcw3 · · Score: 1

      Google is your friend...please use it.
      https://www.businessinsider.co...

      --
      Just another day in Paradise
    10. Re:$1 million bail is a joke by Archtech · · Score: 1

      So... you think punishing officials for corruption is bad? You prefer the American system, where it is legal and widespread?

      There is nothing in the article to which you linked that even hints that those imprisoned are political enemies of Mr Xi.

      --
      I am sure that there are many other solipsists out there.
    11. Re:$1 million bail is a joke by dcw3 · · Score: 2

      From the linked article...
      "One of China's elite prisons has become overcrowded with political prisoners..."

      From https://freedomhouse.org/blog/...
      If there is one thing that the Chinese government would most like us to overlook, however, it is the ferocious suppression of political dissent.

      Headline speaks for itself
      https://www.economist.com/chin...

      Do you need more, or are you a Chinese troll?

      --
      Just another day in Paradise
  13. Doing it wrong. Not defensive, offensive by raymorris · · Score: 1

    If her defense is PowerPoint, she's doing it backwards.
    PowerPoint isn't defensive, it's offensive. Death by PowerPoint.

  14. Oh there is proof by SuperKendall · · Score: 4, Interesting

    From the original article linked from the summary:

    As there is a publication ban in effect, we cannot provide any further detail at this time. The ban was sought by Ms. Meng.

    There is proof, and SHE blocked us from seeing it so it must be super bad.

    Guilty.

    --
    "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
    1. Re:Oh there is proof by SuperKendall · · Score: 2

      Hey buddy, it's Canada considering the evidence to extradite her - and again it's evidence we could all otherwise see, but she blocked us from seeing it.

      Once she gets here she'll go to real court. Try to keep up, I know you are an AC and naturally dull-witted, but really

      She can be grateful she's not going to be going to whatever shithole third world court system you live under where they would just shoot her in the head and throw her in a ditch. I know that's how you live but here in civilization we have process.

      I'll let you have the last word so you can gibber to yourself.

      --
      "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
    2. Re:Oh there is proof by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

      More likely she asked for privacy to save face and reduce the embarrassment to her family and company.

      Sadly the "different culture = guilty" attitude is all too common.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    3. Re:Oh there is proof by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Go home chinese troll.

    4. Re:Oh there is proof by dcw3 · · Score: 1

      It's all going to come out in future hearing(s), so that seems pretty unlikely.

      --
      Just another day in Paradise
  15. I'm sorry by William+Baric · · Score: 2, Interesting

    As someone who lives in Canada, I'd like to apologize for Canada helping the US to enforce its imperialistic policies. People of the world have to understand that we Canadians do not have any kind of backbone. The only thing we can do is to submit and then to apologize, exactly like I'm doing.

    Again, I'm sorry.

    1. Re:I'm sorry by fred911 · · Score: 2

      "Canadians do not have any kind of backbone."

      Well you guys make Molsen.. oh wait, looks like we fucked that one up. For that, we're both sorry.

      --
      09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B - D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0 45 5F E1 04 22 CA 29 C4 93 3F 95 05 2B 79 2A B2
    2. Re:I'm sorry by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Are you a Canadian Citizen?

      If she committed a crime, whhttps://news.slashdot.org/story/18/12/07/2315243/huaweis-cfo-is-being-accused-of-fraud-and-her-main-defense-is-a-powerpoint#y do you apologize? How are you so sure she did not commit a crime?

      Do you think corrupt leaders of state run business in China would be a better partner and protector of your freedom in Canada than the United States?

      As someone who is a good friend and admirer of Canada, your comment bothers me.

      For more than 100 years Canada and the United States have been partners against all types of dictatorships and evil. So the partnership continues and it is good for everyone. Perhaps Canada has a smaller population than the United States, but we are partners and we are in this together. The world is evil. Communist China is evil. If you deny this, then I wonder if you are really paying attention to how China controls its people.

    3. Re:I'm sorry by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Except for Jordan Peterson.

    4. Re:I'm sorry by Tough+Love · · Score: 1

      It's called an Extradition Treaty

      --
      When all you have is a hammer, every problem starts to look like a thumb.
    5. Re:I'm sorry by Archtech · · Score: 1

      For more than 100 years Canada and the United States have been partners against all types of dictatorships and evil.. The world is evil. Communist China is evil.

      Surely you don't really believe a word of that. At any rate, by posting it you have lost all credibility.

      The world is NOT black and white, good versus evil. It contains a lot of people who do very good things, and a lot of people who do very bad things; those people are pretty evenly distributed. Largely, the amount of good or harm an individual does is a matter of opportunity.

      "If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being".

      -Alexandr Solzhenitsyn (“The Gulag Archipelago”)

      --
      I am sure that there are many other solipsists out there.
  16. desperate by fluffernutter · · Score: 1

    Amazon... everywhere people are desperate.

    --
    Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
  17. Google no better by Tulsa_Time · · Score: 1

    US general has a question for Google: Why will you work with China but not us?

    --
    5 out of 6 people enjoy Russian Roulette & 6 out of 7 Dwarfs are not Happy
  18. Useful precedent by Archtech · · Score: 4, Interesting

    As I understand it, a US court has ordered the arrest and extradition of a Chinese corporation's CFO on charges of fraud.

    Does that mean that Chinese, European and other countries' courts will now be able to arrest and extradite the American executives responsible for the 2008 crash? Between them they caused trillions of dollars of losses worldwide, not a penny of which they paid themselves. Governments had to milk their taxpayers for said trillions in order to "make good" the balance sheets and reserves of supposedly system-critical banks and other financial institutions.

    This was the biggest fraud in the history of the world, yet how many executives have been indicted in the USA? https://radiofreethinker.files...

    Zero.

      “Ron Suskind’s Confidence Men reported that on March 27 2009, just two months after taking office, [Obama] invited the executives of thirteen leading Wall Street institutions to the White House. After listening to their arguments for why banks had to go on paying bonuses (ostensibly to get the best talent to manage their money), Obama told them: ‘Be careful how you make those statements, gentlemen. The public isn’t buying that’. He explained that only he could provide them with the political shield needed to forestall public pressure for reform, not to mention prosecution of financial fraud. ‘My administration is the only thing between you and the pitchforks’”.

    - Michael Hudson, "Killing the Host", page 253

    --
    I am sure that there are many other solipsists out there.
  19. Re:end of trade with china by Archtech · · Score: 1

    Then China will go mad

    That certainly won't happen. The Chinese are the calmest, most level-header players at the top table. They are about as emotional as a chess (or maybe Go) grandmaster considering her next move.

    --
    I am sure that there are many other solipsists out there.
  20. Useful precedent by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    This is a fabulous idea! I doubt you'll find any US citizen that would be upset for someone, nay ANYONE, finally brought to justice over that fiasco.

  21. Re:Why do chinese companies follow US law? by hey! · · Score: 1

    A foreign company's transactions in the US are governed by US law. If they do those transactions under the false pretense of complying with US laws then that's considered fraudulent, and the US institution would not automatically be party to that fraud.

    That seems to be the nature of the allegations here. The linked article mentions allegedly fraudulent dealings with US banks by Huawei, at a time another company called "Skycom" was doing business in Iran. The US alleges that Huawei was doing business through Skycom in order to skirt US legal restrictions on the banks itw as also doing business with.

    It sounds to me like it's going to be hard to make that stick, given that the proof has to do with the dealings between two foreign companies. It's not like you can raid their offices and seize the evidence of collusion, you have to rely on the documents they voluntarily offer in response to your demands. If it were a chip or a software library, sure, but we seem to be talking money here, and you can't trace that without a trail to follow.

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    Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
  22. Re:I don't think I'd want to be an American in Chi by gtall · · Score: 2

    I'm not saying that arrest was fair, but China has a history of stealing people too. Forgetting the individuals they''ve stolen, they have also stolen Tibet, and are busing stealing UigherLand I forget what that province is called). The latter constitutes stealing because they are resettling it with Han Chinese, just like they are doing in Tibet. Taiwan is next on the agenda because the fearless leaders of the Chinese Communist Party do actually fear (1) having no legitimacy to govern, (2) a land of free Chinese, (3) that Taiwan might infect the mainland with Democracy and make the Communist Party look like a band of ignorant leeches.

  23. Re:I don't think I'd want to be an American in Chi by dryeo · · Score: 2

    Kinda like stealing Hawaii and populating it with Americans or stealing chunks of Mexico and populating it with English speakers. Or perhaps like stealing a good chunk of N. America from the occupants and doing all kinds of nasty stuff to the original inhabitants.

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    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inverted_totalitarianism
  24. Re:I don't think I'd want to be an American in Chi by Yagwag · · Score: 1

    There is a saying about the Ancient Romans, that they created a wasteland and called it peace. But you could say something similar about the cultural impact of Genghis Khan. All of human history has been groups of humans conquering each other for land and resources with pockets of peace created by imperialism. The people you might think of as more natural were no less war-like than our ancestors were. Native American societies were filled with _warriors_ and our ancestors would have had a much harder time conquering them if it were not for bacteria from livestock. Also, Africa was filled with WARRIORS and white slavers bought their slaves from AFRICANS. Everyone conquered everyone and everyone owned slaves, that's history. Our ancestors weren't worse than the rest of humanity and modern day America certainly isn't worse than China.