Two private investigators have been charged with breaching the privacy rights of Chinese citizens

A UK consultant and his American wife have been charged in relation to the corruption investigation at GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) in China. Peter Humphrey and Yu Yingzeng, who run the private investigation agency ChinaWhys, were detained by police in July, and have now been charged with illegally trading the personal information of Chinese citizens.

Chinese authorities began their investigation into corruption and bribery at GSK in July, and have since arrested dozens of staff and senior executives. It is alleged that GSK spent over £300 million bribing doctors and healthcare officials in the country, routing the money through travel agencies.

Detailed information about how Humphrey and Yu are linked to the allegations has not been disclosed. ChinaWhys is thought to have been working with pharma companies including GSK.