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An alleged Chinese spy at the heart of the latest scandal to engulf Prince Andrew has been named as Yang Tengbo.
The 50-year-old businessman was barred from the UK in 2023 because authorities felt he was likely to pose a threat to national security.
Mr Yang was named after days of growing pressure from MPs demanding he should be identified following a court order that was issued protecting his anonymity.
He has now insisted he has done “nothing wrong” and rejected allegations of being a spy as “entirely untrue”.
Here, The Independent takes a look at who Mr Yang is and the allegations surrounding him and the Royal Family.
Who is alleged Chinese spy Yang Tengbo?
Born in 1974, Mr Yang studied at university in China and worked as a junior civil servant for a number of years, according to the judgment.
In 2002, he moved to the UK and studied a master’s degree in public administration and public policy at the University of York.
Three years later Mr Yang founded a Chinese investment consultancy business which would go on to establish various high-profile China-related events.
What are the allegations against him?
In 2021, Mr Yang was detained under the Counter-Terrorism and Border Security Act – where he was forced to surrender his mobile phone and computer.
The Home Office alleged correspondence was unearthed showing he worked for the United Front Work Department (UFWD) – a shadowy arm of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
On this basis, former home secretary Suella Braverman barred him from the UK – but Mr Yang later appealed to the Special Immigration Appeals Commission.
What is his connection to Prince Andrew?
The Special Immigration Appeals Commission dismissed Mr Yang’s appeal on Thursday – which made his case public.
The judgment cited evidence provided by the Home Office alleging Mr Yang was a close confidant of Prince Andrew and was able to act on his behalf with investors in China.
Later reports suggested he used this connection to secure invitations to Buckingham Palace and other royal residences.
He also met David Cameron at a Downing Street reception and Theresa May at a black-tie event, keeping photos of both encounters, which took place over the last 15 years, according to the The Sunday Times.
Mr Yang founded a Chinese investment consultancy business in 2005 which would go on to establish various high-profile China-related events.
What has Mr Yang said about the allegations?
Mr Yang said he had “done nothing wrong or unlawful” and the “widespread description of me as a ‘spy’ is entirely untrue”.
He said: “Due to the high level of speculation and misreporting in the media and elsewhere, I have asked my legal team to disclose my identity. I have done nothing wrong or unlawful and the concerns raised by the Home Office against me are ill-founded. The widespread description of me as a ‘spy’ is entirely untrue.
“This is why I applied for a review of the Home Office decision in the first place, and why I am seeking permission to appeal the SIAC decision. It is also why an order extending my anonymity up to the point of determination of the appeal process was granted.
“I have been excluded from seeing most of the evidence that was used against me under a process which is widely acknowledged by SIAC practitioners as inherently unfair: decisions are made based on secret evidence and closed proceedings, which has been described as ‘taking blind shots at a hidden target’.
“On their own fact finding, even the three judges in this case concluded that there was ‘not an abundance of evidence’ against me, their decision was ‘finely balanced’, and there could be an ‘innocent explanation’ for my activities. This has not been reported in the media.
“The political climate has changed, and unfortunately, I have fallen victim to this. When relations are good, and Chinese investment is sought, I am welcome in the UK. When relations sour, an anti-China stance is taken, and I am excluded.
“I am an independent self-made entrepreneur and I have always aimed to foster partnerships and build bridges between East and West. I have dedicated my professional life in the UK to building links between British and Chinese businesses. My activities have played a part in bringing hundreds of millions of pounds of investment into the UK.
“I built my private life in the UK over two decades and love the country as my second home. I would never do anything to harm the interests of the UK.”
Source: independent.co.uk
