On April 29th, Beijing Zhidu Dezheng Investment Co., Ltd. (referred to as “Zhidu Dezheng”) issued a statement, stating that Lu Hongda is currently detained in a detention center in Shenzhen on suspicion of sexual assault in the United States. Earlier, the capital giant Lu Hongda suddenly resigned from his positions as chairman of A-share company Zhidu Shares and Guoguang Electric. It was reported that the reason for his resignation was an allegation of sexual assault against a 27-year-old woman in the United States, which was promptly denied by Zhidu Group.
The statement released by Zhidu Dezheng on April 29th verified through legal channels that the case of Lu Hongda being indicted for sexual assault in the United States is true, with the case scheduled for another hearing on May 4th. Lu Hongda is currently detained in a detention center in Shenzhen due to allegations of criminal offenses.
On April 20th, Zhidu Shares and Guoguang Electric suddenly announced that Lu Hongda had resigned from all positions, including chairman of the two listed companies, without prior reporting to Zhidu Dezheng.
Prior to April 20th, coinciding with the crucial period of the disclosure of the 2025 annual report and the first quarter report of the listed companies, Zhidu Shares and Guoguang Electric simultaneously announced that Lu Hongda, the company chairman, resigned from all positions citing “health reasons and other important matters to handle.” The announcement also mentioned that after resignation, Lu Hongda would serve as a consultant for the company and expressed the hope to strive for the positions of chairman and director of the company in the future.
On April 25th, several Chinese media reported that multiple branches of Zhidu Shares in the United States are facing joint liability lawsuits in connection with a sexual assault case. Court documents revealed that a 27-year-old woman residing in Florida accused Lu Hongda of rape.
In response to media inquiries, Zhidu Group urgently issued a clarification statement on April 26th, verifying that “our executive director Mr. Lu Hongda does not bear any criminal responsibility in the aforementioned incident, and our business activities are currently proceeding as usual.”
Public information indicates that Zhidu Dezheng is the wholly-owned parent company of Zhidu Group and the indirect controlling shareholder of Zhidu Shares and Guoguang Electric. The “Zhidu Group” refers to a capital group that controls multiple listed and non-listed companies, including Guoguang Electric, with Zhidu Shares as its core through a multi-layered equity structure.
After serving as chairman of Guoguang Electric in 2019, Lu Hongda began to concurrently hold the position of chairman of Zhidu Shares in 2020 following a shareholder nomination. According to Tianyancha, Lu Hongda currently holds a 36% stake in Zhidu Dezheng, making him the actual controller of Zhidu Dezheng.
According to the financial report of Zhidu Shares disclosed in 2024, Lu Hongda holds multiple important positions within the “Zhidu Group,” including executive director and general manager of Zhidu Group Ltd., chairman of Guangzhou Zhidu Supply Chain Finance Co., Ltd., executive director and general manager of Shenzhen Zhidu Guoguang Investment Development Co., Ltd., chairman of Guoguang Electric Co., Ltd., executive director and general manager of Tibet Zhidu 91 Information Technology Co., Ltd., executive director and general manager of Suzhou Industrial Park Zhidu Yuan Investment Co., Ltd., director and manager of Shenzhen Zhidu Dexin Equity Investment Management Co., Ltd., and chairman of Zhidu Technology Co., Ltd.
Public records show that Lu Hongda, born in 1971, previously served as a lawyer and partner at the Beijing Zhong Lun Law Firm, as well as a visiting professor at Renmin University of China, a part-time professor at Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, and a member of the China Law Project Expert Group at the University of Dundee in the United Kingdom.