Couple indicted in China for obtaining illegal information

A foreign couple has been indicted in China for illegally obtaining private information on Chinese citizens, prosecutor sources said.

The couple, Peter William Humphrey, 58, a British national, and his wife Yu Ying Zeng, a 61-year old American, were arrested in last August, Xinhua reported.

They were hired by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) China company-owned Mark Reilly as private eyes in 2013.

This is the first indictment Chinese prosecutors have announced on foreigners for illegally obtaining information.

Prosecutors have found the couple illegally trafficked a huge amount of personal information on Chinese citizens to seek profits via a company called ChinaWhys Co. Ltd., which was registered in 2004 in Shanghai.

The personal information traded by the couple included household registration details, background of family members, real estate, vehicles, call log and exit-entry records.

Apart from buying information illegally from others, the couple also obtained secret photography.

Based on the information, the couple compiled all the information together and sold them at high prices to their clients, most of which were China-based multinational corporations, including GSK China.