China will try in public a foreign couple linked to drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline Plc on charges of illegally obtaining private information, state media said, after the United States and Britain raised concerns about access to the trial. Chinese prosecutors announced charges against British investigator Peter Humphrey and his US wife on Monday. The couple were detained last year following work they did for the British pharmaceutical firm.
Two family friends with knowledge of the matter told Reuters this month that the trial was set for August 7 and would be closed to the public. The secrecy around the trial had raised concerns among British and US officials. The couple "will be tried in public" the official Xinhua news agency said on Thursday, citing a statement from the Shanghai No 1 Intermediate People's Court.
"The two defendants hope their families can attend the trail," Xinhua said. It did not give further information on the decision. The case against Humphrey and his wife, Yu Yingzeng, has become a key piece in a long-running investigation into GSK, whose China executives have been charged with orchestrating a widespread network of bribery to promote sales.
The US and British embassies had pressed China on the need for a transparent and fair trial. The United States cited a 1982 bilateral consular convention between the two countries that it said gave officials permission to attend such trials. China's Foreign Ministry had said the proceedings would be handled according to law. ChinaWhys, the risk consultancy run by the couple, was employed by GSK in April 2013 to investigate a former employee suspected of sending anonymous emails, including the circulation of an intimate video of former GSK China head Mark Reilly with his girlfriend as well as emails containing allegations of widespread bribery at the British drugmaker.
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