Australian Businessman Convicted of Reckless Foreign Interference in Spy Case

By Blessing Nweke

An Australian businessman has been found guilty of reckless foreign interference after compiling reports for two individuals prosecutors said he should have suspected were Chinese intelligence agents.

Alexander Csergo, 59, was convicted in a Sydney court on Friday and now faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. The case marks one of the rare prosecutions under Australia’s modern anti-espionage laws.

Prosecutors told the court that Csergo had been approached in 2021 while working in Shanghai by a woman who claimed to represent a think tank. She later introduced him to two people identified only as “Ken” and “Evelyn,” who said they had business interests in Australia, New Zealand and Canada.

According to court documents, the pair offered to pay Csergo thousands of dollars in cash for reports about issues related to national security and strategic industries. Meetings between Csergo and the pair reportedly took place in mostly empty cafes and restaurants where envelopes containing cash were exchanged.

The reports covered topics from lithium mining and iron ore to the AUKUS security pact and the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, often described as the Quad. Authorities said a “shopping list” of requested topics was discovered during a search of Csergo’s home in Bondi after his arrest in 2023.

During the trial, Csergo’s defence argued the reports contained only publicly available information. Lawyers said he had fabricated interviews and plagiarised material, including fake quotes attributed to former Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd.

However, prosecutors argued that even if the information was worthless, Csergo believed the individuals were connected to China’s intelligence services and was reckless about whether his work could aid foreign intelligence operations.

Investigators said he exchanged more than 2,800 messages with “Ken” on the messaging platform WeChat.

Csergo did not testify during the trial. Authorities say he is only the second person convicted under Australia’s foreign interference laws introduced in 2018 to counter espionage and covert political influence. Sentencing is expected at a later date.