A Shenzhen-based manufacturer of iPhones for Apple will compensate the family of a 25-year-old engineer who committed suicide after an iPhone prototype went missing.
Foxconn Technology Group, a unit of Taiwanese giant Hon Hai, confirmed a one-off payment of 36,000 yuan (HK$40,900) yesterday to the parents of Sun Danyong , who reportedly jumped from a 12th-floor balcony of his apartment building in Shenzhen on July 16 after he was suspected of stealing the prototype. The company would also pay 30,000 yuan annually to support Sun's parents until they died, Foxconn administrative general manager James Lee Kin-ming said. Foxconn will also send several executives to attend Sun's funeral in Yunnan province .
A forensic examination by Shenzhen police showed last week that Sun had died as a result of the fall.
A senior Foxconn official, who declined to be identified, said the compensation was a show of goodwill to the family and the public.
'It doesn't mean his death is attributable to the company, since police have been handed surveillance footage that would prove officials had not questioned Sun in any improper fashion during the investigation,' the official said.
Sun was reportedly responsible for the final packaging of a shipment of 16 fourth-generation iPhones this month. One of the phones was discovered missing on July 10, and Foxconn's environment and safety department launched an internal investigation on July 15.