GlaxoSmithKline case: China charges British-American couple

Private investigators Peter Humphrey and Yu Yingzeng were arrested as part of investigation into bribery scandal

theguardian.com, Staff and agencies, Tuesday 27 August 2013

Peter Humphrey and Yu Yingzeng had worked as private investigators
for GlaxoSmithKline. Photograph: PA

China has given the first official confirmation of charges against a British-American couple embroiled in the GlaxoSmithKline bribery case.

An announcement by the Xinhua News Agency said Peter Humphrey and his wife, Yu Yingzeng, who both operate private investigation firm ChinaWhys, had been detained since July on charges of illegally trading in personal information about Chinese citizens.

Xinhua said reports prepared by their agency included information that infringed the privacy rights of Chinese citizens. ChinaWhys says its services for corporate clients include screening potential employees or business partners.

The couple's arrest had earlier been announced by their family and the British embassy in Beijing.

GSK has been accused by China of funnelling up to 3bn yuan (£312m) to travel agencies to facilitate bribes to doctors and officials. It remains unclear whether the couple's arrest relates directly to that case but they were apparently arrested as part of the GSK investigation.

Humphrey and Yu's ChinaWhys had done work with drug companies including GSK, according to sources of the Reuters news agency where Humphrey worked as a journalist in the 1980s and 90s. The ChinaWhys website says he has been a risk management specialist and corporate detective for 14 years.

Humphrey, a Briton, and Yu, an American, were detained in Shanghai on 10 July by police investigating bribery allegations against GlaxoSmithKline.

In China an arrest typically means police believe they have enough evidence for a case to be brought to trial. Detentions can last for weeks and end in release without charges being filed.

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