A verdict will be delivered on March 29 in the trial of four Rio Tinto (RIO.ASX, RIO.LSE) employees accused of taking bribes and stealing commercial secrets in China, Bloomberg reported. The mining company said it had been advised of the verdict date, while the Australian Foreign Ministry said consular officials would be present in court and make a statement after the judgment. A verdict was not expected to come so soon after the trial, which ended on Wednesday. The accused – Stern Hu, an Australian citizen who formerly headed up Rio Tinto’s iron ore sales unit in China, and his four Chinese colleagues, Liu Caikui, Wang Yong and Ge Minqiang – have been held since July. Hu reportedly pleaded not guilty to the commercial secrets charge. According to lawyers for the Chinese defendants, Wang and Ge also pleaded not guilty while Liu pleaded guilty. All four admitted to receiving bribes, but some contested the amounts cited by the prosecution.
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