Early release for Peter Humphrey, the British investigator linked to GSK corruption case

Mainland Chinese authorities on Tuesday granted early release to a jailed British investigator who was linked to a corruption case involving pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), his son and a family friend said.

In August last year, a Shanghai court sentenced Peter Humphrey to two-and-a-half years in prison for illegally obtaining the personal information of Chinese citizens.

His American wife and partner in the couple's investigative firm, ChinaWhys, received a two-year jail term.

Humphrey and wife Yu Yingzeng were hired by GSK to investigate the source of a lurid sex tape of the company's China boss, shortly before the British multinational became embroiled in bribery allegations.

"[Humphrey] was notified today that the court decided to reduce his sentence by seven months," the friend said, adding that he was originally due for release in January 2016 since the court counted the time he was held before the trial.

"The British consulate is preparing an emergency passport and then he will be deported," she said.

Two lawyers who had acted for Humphrey and Yu last year said they were not aware of the decision.