CHINA MILK SCANDAL TERMS UPHELD

March 26, 2009: A court in north China's Hebei Province upheld two death sentences, a suspended death verdict and other convictions in the country's tainted milk scandal.
The Hebei Higher People's Court upheld original verdicts for Geng Jinping for producing and selling poisonous food, and Zhang Yujun for endangering public safety. The two were sentenced to death on Jan. 22 by the Shijiazhuang Intermediate People's Court.
Death sentences need final approval from the Supreme People's Court in China before being carried out.
The higher court also reaffirmed a suspended death sentence for Gao Junjie.
The court also upheld convictions for others involved in the tainted-dairy scandal, including Geng Jinzhu, Geng Jinping's sister.
At least six infants died and almost 300,000 became ill after consuming dairy products tainted with the industrial chemical melamine. The chemical was added to milk to make it appear higher in protein content. It can cause kidney stones and kidney failure. (Xinhua News Agency March 27, 2009)