China court rejects Rio Tinto employees' appeals -report

The Higher People's Court of Shanghai rejected the appeals by Wang Yong, Ge Minqiang and Liu Caikui. They had admitted receiving kickbacks from steel mills desperate to buy iron ore from Rio Tinto at relatively low prices, but contested the amounts charged by prosecutors.

Two of the three had appealed against the espionage convictions, which were handed down in a closed trial.

Australian citizen Stern Hu, who was tried along with his colleagues, did not appeal.

"According to a final verdict handed down by the Shanghai Higher People's Court Monday, the facts affirmed by the Shanghai No.1 Intermediate People's Court were clear, the convictions and the sentences were appropriate and trial procedures were legal," Xinhua said.

China has not yet announced the verdict for two Chinese steel executives, Tan Yixin and Wang Hongjiu, who were tried behind closed doors for having leaked information regarding the China Iron and Steel Association's negotiating position during term price talks last year. They were also sentenced on March 29.

A spokeswoman for the Shanghai Intermediate People's Court refused to reveal those verdicts on Monday.

(Reporting by Lucy Hornby; Additional reporting by Huang Yan; Editing by Nick Macfie)