PUBLISHED : Monday, 14 July, 2014, 3:52pm
UPDATED : Tuesday, 15 July, 2014, 12:34pm
Alice Yan
[email protected]
The drug-maker, which is the target of a bribery probe in China, said on Monday some executives may have broken the law. Photo: Reuters
Husband and wife investigators for the scandal-hit British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline have been indicted by Shanghai prosecutors on charges of illegally obtaining and selling private information.
Briton Peter Humphrey and his Chinese-born wife, Yu Yingzeng, who holds a United States passport, were arrested last July as mainland authorities investigated GSK.
The drugmaker is accused of funnelling up to three billion yuan (HK$3.8 billion) through travel agencies to bribe doctors and officials to prescribe its medications.
The case against Humphrey and Yu marks the first time foreigners have faced such charges in China.
In the past we thought acquiring private information is in a grey area YU YINGZENG
Humphrey, 58, and Yu, 61, are part of an investigation industry that helps corporate clients screen potential partners and employees or watch for embezzlement and other misconduct.
The couple founded a risk consultancy named ChinaWhys in Shanghai at the end of 2003.
According to Xinhua, prosecutors said the couple trafficked a “huge amount” of personal information including home addresses, information about family members, property and vehicles and overseas travel records, which they obtained by illegally buying it from others as well as by using hidden cameras or by following people.