Australian businessman accused of supplying suspected Chinese spies with AUKUS information

An Australian man has been refused bail after being charged with a foreign interference offense for accepting cash from suspected Chinese intelligence agents, with a Sydney court saying his close ties to China made him a flight risk.

Magistrate Michael Barko said Alexander Csergo was a “sophisticated, worldly businessperson” who had been on the radar of Australian intelligence for some time before his arrest on Friday.

The prosecution had a strong case against Csergo, who had lived in China for decades, Barko said in refusing bail.

Csergo is alleged to have arrived back in Australia this year with a “shopping list” of intelligence priorities he had been asked for by two people he had suspected since 2021 to be agents for China’s Ministry of State Security, the court heard.

The pair, named in court only as “Ken” and “Evelyn,” first made contact with Csergo through LinkedIn.

This shopping list had been discovered by Australian intelligence authorities three weeks after Csergo returned to Sydney, the court was told.