Geneva appeals court upholds conviction of Israeli tycoon

By JAMEY KEATEN
Associated Press

GENEVA (AP) — A Geneva appeals court has upheld the conviction of Israeli diamond magnate Beny Steinmetz for corrupting foreign officials. The case is in connection with lucrative mining rights in the West African country of Guinea. The court did reduce his sentence and throw out a charge of forgery. The court upheld the convictions of Steinmetz and two other defendants for bribing foreign public officials over promises made years ago to Guinean President Lansana Conte through payments to his wife that came to be worth about $8.5 million. The court also upheld a $50 million fine against the Israeli tycoon.