A new investigative journalism collaboration between Spanish outlet ABC Diario and Dominican reporter Julissa Céspedes from CDN has uncovered alleged hidden business ties between former Spanish Defense Minister José Bono and a controversial Valencian business magnate, linking the ex-official to hundreds of millions of dollars in solar energy contracts in the Dominican Republic.
According to corporate records cited in the probe, Bono holds 105 shares in Robiser Arrendamientos SL, a Spanish-registered company connected to businessman Dimas de Andrés Puyol. This stake makes Bono the single largest shareholder of the firm, a detail that only appears in Dominican business registries and is nowhere to be found in Spain’s national commercial database.
De Andrés, through his Caribbean-based energy firm Medcap Energy Caribe SRL, has secured 25-year government concessions to develop two large-scale photovoltaic projects: the Pimentel Energy facility in Duarte province and the Las Parras Energy project in San Antonio de Guerra. Combined, the total investment planned for these two renewable energy ventures surpasses $400 million, with more than $300 million already awarded in formal contracts to companies linked to the businessman.
This is not the first time De Andrés has drawn public scrutiny. Beyond the energy projects, his companies have secured other public contracts in the Dominican Republic, including a solid waste collection deal for the municipality of Santo Domingo Norte that has faced widespread public backlash over persistent claims of poor service delivery. Back in Spain, both De Andrés and his father faced investigation for alleged financial crimes, though both were ultimately acquitted of all charges in 2022.
Bono has forcefully pushed back against the allegations released in the investigation. In a response to the report, the former Spanish cabinet minister denied having any formal business partnership with De Andrés, and rejected any claim that he holds a financial stake in the Dominican Republic’s renewable energy sector, dismissing the accusations as “an outrage and a lie.”