SHANGHAI, July 29 (Reuters) - The public trial of a foreigncouple linked to GlaxoSmithKline Plc (GSK) is set forAug. 8, a Shanghai court said on Tuesday.
Earlier this month, Chinese prosecutors accused Britishinvestigator Peter Humphrey and his American wife Yu Yingzengfor illegally obtaining private information. The couple weredetained last year following work they did for the Britishdrugmaker.
The couple will stand trial at 9:30 a.m. (0130 GMT) on Aug.8 for "illegally obtaining private information about citizens",according to a brief statement posted on the website of theShanghai No.1 Intermediate People's Court.
Two family friends with knowledge of the matter told Reutersearlier this month that the trial was set for Aug. 7 and wouldbe closed to the public.
But the official Xinhua news agency reported on July 17 thatthe trial would be open to the public. The United States andBritain had raised concerns about access to the trial.
Courts in China are tightly controlled by the rulingCommunist Party, and defendants are almost always convicted.Access to trials is extremely limited.
The case against Humphrey and his wife has become a keypiece in a long-running investigation into GSK, whose Chinaexecutives have been charged with orchestrating a widespreadnetwork of bribery to promote sales.
ChinaWhys, the risk consultancy run by the couple, wasemployed by GSK in April 2013 to investigate a former employeesuspected of sending anonymous emails, including the circulationof an intimate video of former GSK China head Mark Reilly withhis girlfriend, as well as emails containing allegations ofwidespread bribery at the British drugmaker.
Humphrey worked for Reuters as a journalist in the 1980s and1990s. (Reporting by Kazunori Takada; Editing by Ryan Woo)
Glaxosmithkline (GSK)