Chinese Court Slaps 13-Year Jail Term on Australian CEO

Posted December 6th, 2011 at 8:50 am (UTC-5)
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Australia says a Chinese court has sentenced an Australian national doing business in China to 13 years in prison for embezzlement and bribery.

Australian media identify defendant Matthew Ng as the chief executive officer of a travel services company (Et-China), which is involved in a dispute with a local Chinese partner. The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper said the chairman of Ng’s company received a 16-year sentence and the chief financial officer 3.5 years.

Australian officials said the defendants planned to appeal their sentences, which were handed down by a court in Guangdong province.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said the case was handled according to law and that Chinese officials offered assistance to Australian consular officials.