Company boss imprisoned for role in 'gutter oil' scandal

A court has sentenced the head of a Taiwan company to 20 years in prison for his role in a "gutter oil" scandal that gripped the island's food industry and brought down a senior official.

Yeh Wen-hsiang, chairman of Chang Guann Co, was also fined $1.6 million for his part in selling 243 metric tons of tainted oil collected from cookers, fryers and grease traps, as well as recycled grease from leather processing plants.

Yeh was first detained in September after the accusations came to light, but he was released on bail in October. Last week, he was found guilty of safety violations, and he was sentenced on Friday.