Former Rio Tinto China exec Stern Hu released

The former head of Rio Tinto’s iron ore business in China, Stern Hu, has been released after spending nine years in prison.

An undated copy photo of Stern Hu and Rio Tinto at a press conference.

The former head of Rio Tinto’s iron ore business in China, Stern Hu, has been released from a Chinese prison after nine years.

The Australian citizen was sentenced in 2010 for 10 years’ jail after being found guilty of accepting bribes and stealing trade secrets.

Ministry spokesman Lu Kang made the announcement at a daily news briefing in Beijing on Thursday.

Mr Hu, the head of the Anglo-Australian miner’s Shanghai office, was arrested in July 5 2009, along three Chinese-national colleagues.

At a trial in March 2010, all admitted to a Chinese court at the time of taking bribes from small and medium private steel mills in exchange for providing them with access to regular supplies of iron ore at better prices than they could get from state-run mills.

His three Chinese colleagues, Wang Yong, Liu Caikui and Ge Minqiang, were sentenced to jail terms of between seven and 14 years.

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said she welcomed the release of Mr Hu.

“Australian consular officials in China will continue to provide consular assistance to Mr Hu and his family for as long as it is needed,” Ms Bishop said.

Hu had been serving his sentence in a jail in the Chinese financial hub of Shanghai.

Rio Tinto declined to comment.

More to come

With wires