An Australian court has found a businessman guilty of reckless foreign interference after he prepared reports for individuals suspected of working for Chinese intelligence.
Alexander Csergo, 59, was convicted in a court in Sydney. He now faces a possible prison sentence of up to 15 years.
Prosecutors said Csergo compiled reports for two people identified only as “Ken” and “Evelyn.” Authorities believe he should have suspected that the pair were linked to Chinese intelligence.
Contact in Shanghai
The case began in 2021 while Csergo was running a business in Shanghai.
According to court documents, a woman contacted him and claimed to represent a think tank. She arranged a meeting between Csergo and two clients interested in research reports.
The clients said they had business interests in Australia, New Zealand, and Canada.
Csergo later met the pair in restaurants and cafes to deliver the reports. Prosecutors told the court that he received envelopes containing thousands of dollars in cash during these meetings.
Reports on Strategic Topics
Investigators said the pair requested information on several sensitive topics.
The reports covered issues such as lithium mining, iron ore production, the AUKUS security pact, and the Quad diplomatic partnership.
Police later found a “shopping list” of these topics during a search of Csergo’s home in Bondi, Sydney, Australia. The search occurred after his return to Australia in 2023, when authorities arrested him.
Prosecutors’ Argument
Prosecutors said the information in the reports had little value. However, they argued that Csergo believed the two individuals worked for China’s intelligence service, the Ministry of State Security.
They said he was reckless because his work could have supported foreign intelligence activities.
Investigators also revealed that Csergo exchanged around 2,800 messages with “Ken” on the Chinese messaging platform WeChat.
Defence Claims
Csergo’s defence team argued that he did not share classified information.
They said the reports contained publicly available material from online sources. The defence also admitted that the reports included copied content and fabricated interviews.
One example involved a quote attributed to former Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd, which Csergo never actually obtained.
Csergo did not testify during the trial. However, he previously told police that he believed he was under surveillance while living in China.
Rare Conviction Under Anti-Spying Laws
This case marks only the second conviction under Australia’s foreign interference laws introduced in 2018.
The legislation aims to prevent covert influence and espionage activities linked to foreign governments.
Authorities say the laws play a key role in protecting national security from foreign interference.
