A Sydney business consultant has been convicted of violating Australia's foreign interference laws by providing reports to individuals he should have suspected were Chinese spies. Alexander Csergo, 59, was found guilty by a jury in the New South Wales District Court on Friday, becoming only the second person convicted under the 2018 legislation, which had previously drawn criticism from China.
The court heard that Csergo provided handwritten reports on topics including defence, security, politics, and mining to a man and woman he knew only as Ken and Evelyn. The reports covered subjects such as the AUKUS trilateral partnership, under which Britain will help Australia acquire a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines using US technology. Csergo received cash payments in return for the reports.
Csergo was working as a communications and technology consultant in Shanghai in 2021 when he was contacted via LinkedIn by Evelyn, who claimed to be from a Chinese think tank. He later lied to the suspected spies about having interviewed several individuals, including former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, who currently serves as Australia's ambassador to the United States.
Csergo's lawyers argued that he used only open-source information for his research. However, the jury determined that he should have suspected Ken and Evelyn were working for China's Ministry of State Security. He was found guilty of reckless foreign interference and released on bail over the weekend, with a court appearance scheduled for Monday, when prosecutors will argue for him to be remanded in custody. He faces a potential prison sentence of up to 15 years.
