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More toxic milk trials in China | More toxic milk trials in China |
(about 6 hours later) | |
Nine people linked to a deadly toxic milk scandal went on trial on Monday, China's state news agency said. | |
Four were charged with "endangering public security" after making and selling "protein powder" that included melamine, reported Xinhua. | |
Another five appeared in local courts, bringing the total number on trial over the scandal so far to 15. | |
Hundreds of thousands of infants fell ill and at least six died after melamine was added to milk products. | |
The company at the centre of the scandal, Sanlu, has already been declared bankrupt. | The company at the centre of the scandal, Sanlu, has already been declared bankrupt. |
Death penalty | |
The four who went on trial on Monday - identified as Gao Junjie, his wife Xiao Yu, Xue Jianzhong, and Zhang Yanjun - could face 10 years in jail or even the death penalty. | |
They went on trial in the northern city of Shijiazhuang, Hebei province - where Sanlu is headquartered, and where the first group of six accused went on trial on Friday. | |
The four whose trial began on Monday are accused of selling 200 tonnes of "protein powder" - a mixture of melamine, malt dextrin and whey powder - to milk producers. | |
Also on Monday, five further suspects went on trial in three local courts, also in Hebei, on charges of making and selling poisonous food, Xinhua reported. | |
Compensation | |
State media say that a fund set up by 22 dairy firms will compensate families whose children died or were hospitalised. | |
Reports suggest families of children killed by the tainted milk could receive 200,000 yuan ($29,000; £19,800). Families of babies hospitalised could get up to 50,000 yuan. | |
When the scandal broke in September, a chain of melamine producers and middlemen was found to have been supplying milk dealers with the product. | When the scandal broke in September, a chain of melamine producers and middlemen was found to have been supplying milk dealers with the product. |
The dealers added melamine to boost the apparent protein content of milk, which had often been watered down to make the raw product go further. | |
Major dairy companies bought the milk from such dealers, failing to test the milk for purity and nutritional value. | Major dairy companies bought the milk from such dealers, failing to test the milk for purity and nutritional value. |
The government scrambled to fight off allegations that it reacted slowly to the scandal, and promised to bring the culprits to court. | The government scrambled to fight off allegations that it reacted slowly to the scandal, and promised to bring the culprits to court. |
The scandal tarnished China's food industry far beyond its borders. | The scandal tarnished China's food industry far beyond its borders. |
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