Sydney, 13 March: An Australian court has found businessman Alexander Csergo guilty of reckless foreign interference after prosecutors said he prepared reports for people he believed were linked to Chinese intelligence.
A jury in Sydney on Friday convicted the 59-year-old over work he carried out while living in Shanghai between 2021 and 2023. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison under Australia’s foreign interference laws introduced in 2018.
Prosecutors told the court that Csergo compiled research and analysis for two contacts known only as “Ken” and “Evelyn.” Authorities alleged the pair were connected to China’s intelligence service, the Ministry of State Security.
According to the prosecution, the businessman met the two contacts in Shanghai and handed over reports during meetings in cafes and restaurants, receiving envelopes of cash in return. The reports addressed topics considered strategically sensitive, including lithium mining, iron ore, defence issues, the AUKUS security pact and the Quad alliance.
Investigators later discovered a document described as a “shopping list” of requested topics during a search of Csergo’s home in Bondi after he returned to Australia in 2023. Prosecutors also highlighted thousands of online communications, saying Csergo exchanged about 2,800 messages with one of the contacts via the WeChat messaging platform.
The Crown argued that even if the material contained little value, Csergo believed the information could assist Chinese intelligence operations and was “reckless as to whether his actions could support China’s intelligence activities.” Prosecutors further alleged that the consultancy opportunity that first contacted him through LinkedIn was likely a front for intelligence gathering.
Csergo’s defence rejected the allegation that he passed on sensitive information. His lawyers argued the reports relied entirely on publicly available material and that their client merely misled the two contacts to obtain payment.
“He never spoke to interviewees. He lied about that,” defence counsel told the court, adding that the businessman had fabricated sources and sometimes used copied material in the reports. “He lied to Ken and Evelyn and deceived them and in doing so, got some money out of it.”
During police interviews played in court, Csergo said he believed communications in China were constantly monitored. “You have a sense of, the government is there, it’s present, it’s observing you,” he told investigators.
Some portions of the proceedings were conducted behind closed doors and several witnesses used pseudonyms, which the judge said was standard practice in cases involving national security.
Csergo becomes only the second person in Australia convicted under the country’s foreign interference legislation enacted in 2018. Sentencing is expected at a later date.
