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| China-Japan-Koreas | |
| Two executed over tainted milk that killed babies | |
| 2009-11-25 | |
Zhang, a cattle farmer, had been convicted of producing and selling more than 770 tonnes of protein powder laced with the industrial chemical melamine between July 2007 and August 2008. The chemical was mixed into milk to give the appearance of a higher protein content in tests. Geng was found guilty of selling milk tainted by the powder to dairy brokers as well as to the now-defunct Sanlu Group, a state-run dairy company that was at the heart of the fraud. A court statement said that Zhang was executed “for the crime of endangering public safety”. Geng was found guilty of producing and selling toxic food. However, much of the public fury at one of the worst food scandals in China was focused on the woman who was the general manager of Sanlu, and who was widely seen as being mainly responsible for the extent of the tragedy. Tian Wenhua pleaded guilty to lesser charges of producing substandard goods and was sentenced to life in prison. Her appeal has been rejected. Many parents said at the time that they were disappointed that she would not face execution. The scandal that erupted in September last year highlighted the shoddy safety standards of food in China and the readiness of the authorities to hush up problems that could have cast a shadow over the Beijing Olympics in August. Officials have never admitted a cover-up to avoid any tarnishing of China’s image during last year’s Games but many parents of ill babies suspect that there was one. | |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #2 There's a quality assurance program in which executive decisions can't hide behind lawyers and a facade of corporate rather than individual liability. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2009-11-25 08:07 |
| #1 Bully! |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2009-11-25 04:36 |