Australian Court Sentences Chinese-Australian Businessman for Violating 'Non-Interference Law'

Di San Zuong, Regular Contact with Chinese Intelligence Authorities

An Australian court sentenced a Chinese-Australian businessman to 2 years and 9 months in prison for violating the Foreign Interference Prohibition Act. This is the first case of a guilty verdict under this law since its enactment in 2018.

Di San Zuong

According to Australian Associated Press (AAP) and other sources on the 29th (local time), the Victoria Magistrates' Court sentenced Di San Zuong (68), a Chinese-Australian businessman, to 2 years and 9 months in prison, stating that he enabled the Chinese Communist Party to exert influence over Australian politics.

Zuong was active as a businessman and a leader in the Chinese-Australian immigrant community in Victoria. He was a member of the Liberal Party and ran unsuccessfully for the state parliament in 1996.

In 2020, he approached then Minister for Multicultural Affairs Allen Tudge, stating that he had raised funds from Chinese-Australian communities in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos, and pledged to donate AUD 37,450 (approximately 32.5 million KRW) to the Royal Melbourne Hospital through Minister Tudge.

On June 2, 2020, Zuong and former Minister Tudge toured the hospital in front of reporters and held a donation ceremony.

However, prosecutors argued that Zuong regularly contacted Chinese intelligence agencies and deliberately approached former Minister Tudge to exert Chinese influence on the Australian government.

Prosecutor Patrick Doyle described Zuong as an ideal figure for the Chinese Communist Party to use as an agent, calling it "an action to secure allies for the Chinese Communist Party."

He emphasized that Zuong violated the Foreign Interference Prohibition Act enacted in 2018.

Zuong pleaded not guilty, but the jury sided with the prosecution, and the court sentenced Zuong to imprisonment on the day.

The Foreign Influence Transparency Scheme, known as the Foreign Interference Prohibition Act, requires lobbyists acting on behalf of foreign governments to register with the Australian government, and includes provisions for criminal penalties if they interfere in Australian domestic affairs.

This law was enacted in 2017 to prevent large political donations from Chinese-related organizations or individuals to both ruling and opposition parties, after it was revealed that a Labor Party senator received substantial political funds from a Chinese businessman linked to the Chinese Communist Party.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.