Australian citizen and former Rio Tinto executive Stern Hu has been released from jail after nine years in detention in China. It’s a long time since the former head of the mining company’s iron ore team in Shanghai was convicted, so here’s a refresher on the case.
When was Mr Hu arrested and convicted?
Mr Hu and three of his Chinese colleagues were arrested in 2009 during contentious iron-ore contract talks between top mining companies and the steel industry in China. The next year, they were convicted of accepting bribes totalling about $14 million and stealing trade secrets. Mr Hu was given a 10-year sentence, which was reduced for good behaviour.
What did we find out during the case?
Most of the proceedings of the trial were held behind closed doors. Australia’s then consulate general in Shanghai, Tom Connor, was one of the few people allowed into the trial, but diplomats were excluded from the hearings regarding commercial secrets.
Mr Hu was alleged to have accepted more than $1 million in bribes in two separate incidents, and Mr Connor said Mr Hu “made some admissions” about this during the trial.
On the issue of commercial secrets, the judge in the case said the four men were given documents from Chinese steel companies, and that these were then emailed to senior Rio Tinto managers.
For the rest of this article: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-07-04/stern-hu-explainer-why-china-jailed-the-former-mining-executive/9936578