BEIJING
Two Chinese journalists alleged to have fabricated news reports about an engineering company were sentenced to prison Friday by a local court in China's central Hunan Province.
State news agency Xinhua reported that the Yuelu district people's court in Changsha sentenced Chen Yongzhou, from the New Express daily newspaper, to 22 months in prison on charges of inflicting damage to construction equipment manufacturer Zoomlion’s commercial reputation.
The court did not say why the men were bribed, or where the bribes had come from, but it has previously been reported that some journalists in China had attempted to extort money from companies by threatening them with damaging reports.
The verdict found the 28-year-old guilty of accepting in May 2013 bribes worth 30,000 Yuan ($4,900), whose confiscation the court ordered – along with an additional fine of 20,000 Yuan.
Alleged false reports written by Chen between September 2012 and May 2013 contributed to drops in the company's stocks and public accusations against its management, according to Xinhua.
Meanwhile, the verdict also gave the co-writer of the allegedly fabricated stories, Zhuo Zhiqiang, a ten-month jail term and a fine of 10,000 Yuan.
www.aa.com.tr/en
