Woman faces 15 years in jail for reckless foreign interference in Canberra
AFP Assistant Commissioner Stephen Nutt said on Monday that the woman, who is also an Australian permanent resident, was charged after search warrants were carried out at Canberra residences on Saturday. The reckless foreign interference charge carries a maximum sentence of 15 years' jail.
'The AFP has alleged the woman … was tasked by China's Public Security Bureau to covertly gather information about the Canberra branch of the Guan Yin Citta, a Buddhist association,' Nutt said.
The woman's appearance in the ACT Magistrates Court on Monday comes just days after ASIO boss Mike Burgess sounded the alarm that Australia was increasingly becoming a target of espionage, costing the government more than $12 billion per year.
Nutt said the woman's alleged 'covert and deceptive conduct' aimed to collect information on the Buddhist group to support intelligence objectives of the Chinese government agency.
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He said Operation Autumn-Shield, launched in March after receiving intelligence from ASIO, was ongoing and that more people could be charged.
The investigation did not include dealings with the Chinese embassy, but Nutt declined to give further details, including information that could lead to the identification of the woman, because the ACT Magistrates' Court had issued a suppression order.
Items, including electronic devices, were seized during the Canberra raids and will undergo forensic examination, the AFP said in a statement.
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