Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Rio Tinto exec pleads guilty at China trial (Mining)

by Staff Writers

Shanghai (AFP) March 22, 2010

An Australian executive with mining giant Rio Tinto pleaded guilty Monday to taking bribes at a politically-charged trial in Shanghai that has stoked concerns about doing business in China.

Stern Hu, who heads the Anglo Australian company's Shanghai office, pleaded guilty to the bribe charge on the first day of the trial of a total of four Rio staff, a defence lawyer told AFP.

Hu and the three other employees are being tried on bribe-taking and trade secrets charges, eight months after their arrest in a case that has strained ties between Beijing and Canberra, key trading partners.

Read more:
http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Rio_Tinto_exec_pleads_guilty_at_China_trial_999.html