China releases wife of British sex tape investigator for GlaxoSmithKline

Chinese authorities are understood to have released the US citizen Yu Yingzeng

Peter Humphrey and his wife Yu Yingzen (BBC)

The wife of a British corporate investigator who was working for the drug giant GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) in China has been released early from jail.

Chinese authorities are understood to have released the US citizen Yu Yingzeng.

The development comes just days after it emerged that her husband and business partner Peter Humphrey had been let out seven months early from prison on health grounds. He is believed to be in a Shanghai hospital and will be deported to Britain once discharged.

The pair are expected to leave China in the coming days.

Mr Humphrey and his wife ran a risk consultancy called ChinaWhys in Shanghai, which was used by a number of multinationals. They were arrested after helping GSK to investigate the source of a sex video involving its former China chief, which had been sent anonymously to senior executives at the group along with emails alleging corruption. The pair were convicted for breaking a law against obtaining private records of Chinese citizens. At their one-day trial, they said they were unaware such acts were criminal.

Ms Yingzeng was sentenced last year to two years in prison and had been due to be released on 11 July. According to the news agency AFP, she was released on Tuesday, but the family was unaware until contacted later by sources in China, a family friend said.

GSK declined to comment.