A Shanghai court on May 17 approved the convictions and sentences of three former China employees of Australian miner Rio Tinto, jailed on charges regarding bribery and theft of commercial secrets.
According to a report by official Chinese news agency Xinhua quoting a court spokesman, the Higher People's Court of Shanghai rejected the appeals by Wang Yong, Ge Minqiang and Liu Caikui.
A fourth defendant, Australian national Stern Hu, did not appeal after the verdict handed down on March 29 by the Shanghai No.1 Intermediate People's Court, the report said.
The final verdict reportedly stated that the original verdicts of the Shanghai No.1 Intermediate People's Court were clear, the convictions and the sentences were appropriate and trial procedures were legal.
As SteelOrbis previously reported, the defendants received jail terms from seven to 14 years for bribery and stealing commercial secrets. They were removed from duty by Rio Tinto following the verdict.