BEIJING, January 22 (RIA Novosti) - A Chinese court has sentenced two people to death and three others to life behind bars over last year's melamine-tainted milk scandal, the Xinhua news agency said on Thursday.
The contaminated milk powder killed at least six children and left another 300,000 ill. The melamine was added to the milk in order to make it appear richer in protein.
The court sentenced Zhang Yujun to death for producing the tainted milk in the Shandong province in eastern China. Geng Jinping was handed the death sentence for selling toxic food to dairy companies.
Another man, Gao Junjie, was also condemned to death, but his sentence has been suspended for two years and could be later converted to life.
Tian Wenhu, the female head of the Sanlu dairy giant at the center of the scandal, was sentenced to life in prison and a $2.9 million fine, Xinhua said. The Sanlu Group was accused of knowing that it was selling toxic milk, and Wenhu pleaded guilty to the charges against her. Two men were also given life sentences.
Six others, including Sanlu employees, were given sentences ranging from five years to 15 years. Another 39 people are still awaiting trial.
The toxic milk scandal led to a ban on Chinese-produced dairy products in Asia, Europe and North America.
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