Australia formally names China in foreign interference investigation
- A court document is the first official admission that the ongoing probe into an alleged plot to influence politician Moselmane centered on Beijing
- Meanwhile, John Zhang, who worked for the Labor lawmaker, has asked the High Court to quash the search warrants used to raid his home, business
A document lodged in the High Court on September 1 by the Australian government lawyer is the first official acknowledgement that the ongoing investigation into an alleged plot to influence an Australian politician centered on China.
The court filing states the search warrant used by police “expressly identifies the foreign principal as the“Government of the People’s Republic of China (PRC)”.
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John Zhang,，who worked for NSW Labor politician Shaoquett Moselmane, has asked the High Court to quash the search warrants used to raid his home, business and Moselmane’s parliament office.
In the government’s response on September 1, the government lawyer states there is “no doubt that the suspected offences related to the plaintiff’s dealings with the Hon Shaoquett Moselmane MLC, allegedly on behalf of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), from about July 1 2019 to about June 25 2020, to advance the interests and policy goals of the PRC”.
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Australia’s foreign interference law criminalised harmful or covert conduct by foreign principals who seek to interfere in the country’s democratic processes to support their own intelligence activities or prejudice Australia’s national security, the court document said.
On Wednesday, the Chinese consulate general in Sydney responded angrily to an Australian Broadcasting Corporation report that said one of its officials was also named in the search warrants.
“The accusations that the Consulate General and its official engaged in infiltration activities are totally baseless and nothing but vicious slanders,” the statement said.
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Australian Federal Police said in a statement that “as the investigation remains ongoing, it is not appropriate to make any comment.”
Foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a news briefing on Wednesday that Beijing will not interfere in the internal affairs of other countries.
Wang said that some in Australia are spreading rumours about China, and that this does not help with the development of bilateral relations.
