Four Rio Tinto
Executives Jailed
A
court in China has sentenced four Rio Tinto executives for
bribery and secrets theft.
Australian Stern Hu was handed a ten year sentence. Wang Yong
was given fourteen years, Liu Caikui seven years and Ge Minqiang
eight years.
The four colleagues, who were fined also, had their assets
confiscated.
Stern Hu was Rio Tinto's lead negotiator in talks with Chinese
steel mills, in a deal to buy iron ore from Australian mining
companies.
During the trial, the defendants admitted taking bribes, but
disputed the amounts of money involved, their lawyers said.
Reactions
The fact that the four had accepted some of the charges led some
observers to believe the court may be lenient towards the
executives.
Commenting on the sentence, Australian Foreign Minister, Stephen
Smith described Mr. Hu's sentence as very tough. He was charged
with accepting bribes of nine hundred thousand dollars.
Mr. Smith also criticised the court for not allowing Australian
diplomats access to the parts of the hearing dealing with the
commercial espionage charges. He however said the verdict and
sentencing would not have any adverse effect on Australia's
relationship with China.
BBC/Williams/Yinka
