IT will be up to the family of a Ukrainian engineer found hanged in a company compound in Sudan whether a Brisbane man found guilty of his murder will face the death penalty.
George Forbes, 45, who worked for a Kenyan company in southern Sudan, was arrested in March and charged with murder and several other offences over the death.
A Department of Foreign Affairs (DFAT) spokesman said today that Forbes had been found guilty of murder overnight in a court in the southern city of Rumbek, but had not yet been sentenced.
A murder conviction carries the death penalty in Sudan.
There is no indication on when Forbes will be sentenced, but the judge is reportedly consulting the victim's family to see if they want the death penalty imposed.
Forbes was arrested, along with a number of other workers from Trax International Construction after Mykola Serebrenikov, who worked for another company, was found hanged in a bathroom at Trax's compound in Rumbek.
A post-mortem found suicide was the cause of death.
Seven men, including Forbes, were arrested but four were released.
Forbes' co-accused, two Kenyan men, were also found guilty of murder.
Australia's ambassador in Cairo would be sent to Rumbek to ensure Forbes's legal rights, health and welfare were protected, the DFAT spokesman said.
"We expect Mr Forbes will be discussing his options, including a possible appeal with his lawyers," he said.
Foreign workers in the area have said Forbes and his two colleagues got into trouble in Rumbek because of their kindness and were victimised for being foreigners.