Rio Tinto sacks execs in Guinea payment probe

Mining major Rio Tinto has terminated the contracts of energy and minerals chief Alan Davies and legal and regulatory affairs group executive Debra Valentine amid the furore caused by a $10.5-million payment to a consultant in Guinea. Rio in November suspended the two staff members and contacted authorities in the US, the UK and Australia, after becoming aware of email correspondence from 2011 relating to the contractual payment to a consultant providing advisory services on the Simandou iron-ore project.