Peru Report Reveals Last-Minute Inclusion of ‘Uncle Johnny’ in Chinese Contract Investigation
A pivotal report investigating Chinese companies awarded contracts in Peru underwent a significant alteration – the inclusion of businessman Zhihua Yang, known publicly as ‘Uncle Johnny’ due to his ties to President José Jerí – following a secret plenary session, raising questions about potential political interference.
In 2022, the Peruvian Congress established an investigative commission to scrutinize tenders granted to Chinese firms, particularly those gaining prominence after the fallout from the Odebrecht scandal and the assumption of office by Martín Vizcarra. The commission, hampered by initial delays in appointing representatives, ultimately delivered its final report on March 14, 2024, after nine months of work and two deadline extensions, under the leadership of Congressman Héctor Valer of Somos Perú.
The report’s conclusions weren’t debated until May of the same year, during a closed-door plenary session. It was at this meeting, according to sources, that an adjustment was requested: the explicit inclusion of Zhihua Yang, a businessman whose meetings with President Jerí have drawn public attention. Coincidentally, 2024 was also the year Jerí claims to have first met Yang, while simultaneously serving as vice president of the investigative commission tasked with examining the businessman’s connections to Asian construction companies operating within the country.
From 609 to 610 Pages: The Addition of ‘Uncle Johnny’
The original report, spanning 609 pages, grew to 610 after the secret plenary session. The key change, according to a comparison of the two versions, was the addition of six paragraphs on page 57, directly naming Zhihua Yang and detailing his alleged role.
“Based on the systematic analysis of the contracts awarded by Provías Nacional and Provías Descentralizado between 2018 and 2022, this Commission has identified the recurrence of a local business environment linked to citizen Zhihua Yang, which would have acted as operational and logistical support for the Chinese state companies under investigation,” the report states.
The commission’s investigation focused on a bidding process exceeding S/ 195 million, awarded to a consortium comprised of China Railway Nº 10 Engineering Group Ltd Sucursal Perú and Canton Lima SAC. Yang’s connection to China Railway No. 10 was previously documented in police complaints, where he appeared as a coordinator for the company in Ancash, reporting alleged extortion attempts.
Further, the report alleges that Chinese companies winning tenders routinely delegated operations to other firms, including Construcciones Capon SAC, managed by Zhihua Yang. “Through ‘Master Lease Contracts’ for heavy machinery, Construcciones Capon SAC positioned itself as a strategic supplier in the works awarded to Chinese state companies,” the report notes.
The evidence, the report concludes, suggests that companies linked to Yang – Canton Lima SAC and Construcciones Capon SAC among them – operated not in isolation, but as a “facilitator of the modus operandi of the 13 Chinese companies investigated.”
When contacted for comment, Congressman Valer stated he did not recall the specifics of the plenary session. However, his press team later clarified that multiple congressmen had requested adjustments during the meeting.
A Stalled Debate and Unanswered Requests
In October 2025, after José Jerí assumed the presidency of Congress, Valer formally requested a plenary debate on the final version of the report. This request went unanswered. Despite four subsequent plenary sessions, the report remained unaddressed.
The Government Palace has yet to issue a statement on the matter. However, President Jerí, following the revelations, asserted at a press conference that – “if memory serves” – he had voted in favor of the report mentioning Zhihua Yang.
Despite Jerí’s claim, the final report containing the mention of the Chinese businessman has not been put to a vote in any legislative instance, remaining in an “intermediate room” within the plenary session process. Sources within the commission confirmed that Yang’s name was added after the May 2024 plenary session, meaning the initial report submitted by the working group did not include his name.
The addition, according to these sources, was a direct result of adjustments requested during that session. This revised version has been ready for debate since May 2024, and was the version Valer urged Jerí to prioritize in October 2025. When questioned about why he did not schedule the report for debate during his tenure as President of Parliament, Jerí cited “agenda issues.”
Héctor Valer’s request to debate the report mentioning Zhihua Yang remains unfulfilled, leaving a cloud of unanswered questions over the investigation and the potential influence of political connections.
