A Sydney businessman accused of selling state secrets to Chinese spies will remain behind bars following evidence-gathering delays.
Alexander Csergo is charged with one count of reckless foreign interference after he allegedly swapped handwritten reports for envelopes of cash with two suspected Chinese spies claiming to be from a think tank while he was working in Shanghai in 2021.
The 55-year-old communications and technology infrastructure consultant was arrested by federal police in Sydney’s eastern suburbs in April after returning to Australia this year, allegedly with a "shopping list" of spying priorities drawn up for him by the Chinese agents.
The case was delayed on Friday for eight weeks after Csergo’s barrister and former ACT attorney-general Bernard Collaery said the defence hadn’t received the full brief of evidence from prosecutors.
Magistrate Mark Whelan heard authorities were seeking evidence and material from overseas.
“There is further evidence from overseas. We don’t have a timeline. It may or may not be arriving,” the defence said.
Mr Collaery said he would seek to make submissions to federal Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus after the defence received the full brief of information from federal police prosecutors.
“The federal attorney-general has the discretion to proceed or not proceed with the charges,” the defence lawyer said.
“We do not wish to write to the attorney-general unless we have the full brief.”
Appearing in Sydney's Downing Centre Local Court via video link, Csergo shook his head and expressed his displeasure with the delay.
“Don’t have the full brief. What's going on? It’s been six months,” he said.
“Ridiculous.”
Mr Collaery criticised the release of information, but agreed to the delay to allow the attorney-general time to consider the case.
“The Commonwealth are getting the same information we are at the same pace,” he said.
Csergo has been in custody since April 14.
The consultant's reports to the apparent spies were compiled from publicly sourced information, plus Csergo's own creative efforts, his barrister said during his bail hearing in April.
Csergo began working in China in 2002 after stints at Telstra and Hyatt International.
Since then, he has worked with a large American ad agency, Shanghai Volkswagen, China Telecom and French advertiser JCDecaux.
The matter will resume on October 4.
