Chinese police claimed to have bagged a tiger yesterday when they accused the former head of GlaxoSmithKline’s China operations of corruption, in an unprecedented case that allegedly involves systematic lawbreaking at a major foreign investor.

Beyond the long jail terms that Mark Reilly and two of his Chinese colleagues named in the probe could face, lawyers say that GSK’s China arm could be forced to pay fines and disgorge tainted profits totalling billions of renminbi if the allegations are eventually proved.

Police and prosecutors have not laid any formal charges against either the executives or GSK’s China unit. Charges could be laid in the coming weeks or months, although prosecutors have a lot of leeway over extending their deliberations.