Australian man who lived in China arrested for ‘reckless foreign interference’
- Alexander Csergo will appear before a local court to face a charge of reckless foreign interference, a New South Wales spokesperson said
- He had recently returned from China where he had worked since 2011, as a digital and data marketing consultant and in advertising
An Australian man who had recently returned from China was arrested in Sydney on Friday and charged with a foreign interference offence, police, court officials and neighbours of the man said.
Alexander Csergo, 55, will appear before Parramatta local court on Saturday to face a charge of reckless foreign interference, a New South Wales courts spokeswoman said. The court listing shows it is a criminal case.
A police statement said the arrest was part of a joint investigation with the intelligence services, and the offence related to Australian defence and national security information.
The man, who the police statement did not name, operates a business overseas and had recently returned to Australia.
Csergo was arrested at a residential address in the Sydney beachside suburb of Bondi, a woman who lived at the same address said.
One neighbour who spoke on condition of anonymity said a man named Alex who had lived in Shanghai for many years had recently returned and was staying at the address and was arrested on Friday.