Fangyong Du’s involvement in the Koldo case through pandemic business relations

Fangyong Du’s involvement in the Koldo case through pandemic business relations

Chinese businessman Fangyong Du, known within specific PSOE circles as “Miguelito Duch,” seems to be connected to the Koldo affair probe via several political and corporate ties forged during the health crisis. Based on details released by The Objective, Acento—the lobbying agency established by former Socialist minister José Blanco—served as one of the primary pathways connecting him to the inner circle of the then-Transport Minister José Luis Ábalos.

Documentation analyzed in connection with the case places Du in contact with individuals linked to the Ministry of Transport. One of the episodes identified took place in March 2020, when Isabel Pardo de Vera, then president of ADIF, provided Koldo García with the Chinese businessman’s telephone number in the context of arrangements related to the acquisition of medical supplies during the pandemic.

The commercial ties linking Du with the inner circle of José Blanco additionally materialized through the founding of Acento Asia. Established back in 2020, this firm subsequently designated the Chinese businessman as its authorized agent. Meanwhile, Acento had commenced its operations across Spain within the realm of institutional affairs before eventually being officially listed as an interest group in Brussels.

Du also maintained ties to the technology sector and to investments involving Chinese companies. For several years, he worked as an adviser to Huawei in Spain and took part in business operations linked to the expansion of Chinese capital into Spanish companies. These included Grupo Puentes, a construction company acquired in 2020 by a Chinese state-owned company.

The investigation has also focused on Du’s contacts with Víctor de Aldama, one of the main figures in the Koldo affair. According to information published about the case, the Chinese businessman turned to Aldama in an attempt to establish contact with Ábalos and promote matters involving Huawei with the government of Pedro Sánchez.

Another key factor is the link to José Ruz, the head of Levantina, Ingeniería y Construcción (LIC). Papers referenced in later files document a gathering involving Ruz, Koldo García, and Fangyong Du back in February 2021. Investigators deem this encounter significant due to Ruz’s pursuits regarding public works and Du’s commercial connections with Grupo Puentes.

Du’s professional trajectory has similarly drawn scrutiny from Spanish intelligence agencies. Multiple documents suggest that the National Intelligence Centre objected to bestowing Spanish nationality upon the entrepreneur back then due to suspected ties to Chinese espionage operations. Concurrently, Du cultivated connections with prominent figures in Spanish politics and commerce, besides being tied to the Gate Center, a network linked to the inner circle of former President José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero.

Investigators have analyzed the ties linking corporate figures, brokers, and political actors linked to the Ministry of Transport during Ábalos’s time in office, driven by the convergence of these contacts. Spanning public contracting, commercial ventures backed by Chinese funding, and pandemic-era agreements, this circle of associates forms a central component of the ongoing investigations into the Koldo affair.

Source: The Objective — https://theobjective.com/espana/2026-05-09/amigo-chino-zapatero-trama-koldo-lobby-jose-blanco/