Bribing Rio Tinto Executives Suffer Chinese Liberty Takeaway

A Chinese court has found four employees of mining company, Rio Tinto, guilty of bribery and theft of trade secrets. The employees received jail sentences ranging from seven to fourteen years. Furthermore, substantial fines were also imposed and assets belonging to the employees were confiscated. Lawyers for the men said they were surprised by the severity of the sentences and that it was likely there would be an appeal.

The employees, including one Australian national, were arrested last July during contentious discussions between mining companies and the steel industry in China regarding iron ore contracts. They were accused of accepting thirteen million dollars in bribes and stealing trade secrets which included the minutes of a China Iron and Steel Association meeting and information on China steel giant Shougang's output.