Peter Humphrey apologises to Chinese government

Speaking in Mandarin to a camera, Humphrey, 57, said in a statement broadcast on state-run China Central Television (CCTV): “I sometimes used illegal means to obtain personal information. I very much regret this and apologise to the Chinese government.” His face was blurred on the broadcast.

China has accused Humphrey, who is British, and his American wife Yu Yingzeng, 60, partners in a risk consultancy, of illegally buying and selling private information, state media reported. 

They were detained in Shanghai on 10 July as police investigated bribery accusations against British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline (GSK).

A police investigator in Shanghai, Lu Wei, said on CCTV the couple “wantonly” obtained a lot of information on home registrations, international travel, and property records. They sold the information to lawyers, multinational companies and financial institutions, CCTV said.

ChinaWhys, the investigative risk consultancy the couple founded, worked for many firms including GSK, separate sources familiar with the matter have said.

Chinese police have been investigating bribery accusations against GSK since July, though Chinese media reports on Humphrey and Yu made no mention of the firm.

“We were concerned to see that Peter Humphrey was interviewed about the details of a case which is currently under investigation and has yet to come to trial,” Britain’s foreign office said in a statement. “We are continuing to provide consular assistance to Mr Humphrey and his family.”

Jason Cai, a Chinese investigator who worked with the couple, was arrested around the same time, said a source with direct knowledge of the matter. Cai was not mentioned in the state media reports, and his arrest has not been announced.

The ChinaWhys website said Humphrey has worked as a risk management specialist and corporate detective for 14 years.

Cai Hua, a Chinese criminal lawyer, said it was difficult to say how heavy the penalty would be if the couple is convicted. “For the most part, it rests on the extent of the damage the crime has done and the amount of information obtained,” he said.

The couple “confessed to the crime without concealing anything,” the state-controlled Xinhua news agency reported. Their “actions seriously violated the personal privacy of Chinese citizens.” The agency added: “Whether it’s a Chinese person or foreigner engaging in illegal activities, public security organs will firmly crack down without holding back.”

Humphrey was a Reuters correspondent in Asia, Eastern Europe and the Balkans in the 1980s and 1990s. ■