A man convicted of extortion had his conviction overturned by a court in south China's Guangdong Province Friday, nine years after his daughter became sick from tainted milk formula.
The Guangdong Provincial Higher People's Court overturned Guo Li's conviction and allowed him to apply for state compensation, said the court.
"I just want to say, after nine years of waiting, the truth is always there and justice will always come," said Guo.
In 2008, Guo requested compensation from milk producer Scient after his daughter was diagnosed with a kidney problem after consuming the company's baby milk formula.
The formula was later confirmed to contain melamine, a chemical raw material that can lead to reproductive damage and bladder or kidney stones.
In 2009, the milk producer granted him 400,000 yuan (58,000 U.S. dollars) on the condition that he waive his right to demand further compensation. After seeking help from the media, Guo requested further compensation of 3 million yuan and was brought to court for extortion later that year.
Guo was sentenced to five years in jail for extortion by Chaoan County People's Court in January 2010. His appeal was rejected by the intermediate court of Chaozhou City in December 2010.
After requests by Guo's parents, Guangdong Provincial Higher People's Court reheard the case.
Nie Lize, a law professor at Sun Yat-sen University, said claiming compensation is the lawful right of consumers who buy flawed products, and the correction in the case shows China's judicial progress in ensuring human rights.
The melamine scandal in 2008 led to the death of at least six babies and caused illness in 300,000 others on the Chinese mainland.
Dairy producer Sanlu Group was at the center of the scandal, which dealt a heavy blow to China's dairy industry and consumers' confidence.
A dairy farmer and a milk salesman were executed in 2009 for their roles in the Sanlu case. Sanlu's general manager, Tian Wenhua, was given a life sentence the same year on charges of producing and selling fake or substandard products. Altogether 21 people related to the brand were convicted in connection with the scandal.
