Raided MP Shaoquett Moselmane has Labor Party membership restored

Shaoquett Moselmane, whose home and office were raided by federal agents, has had his Labor Party suspension lifted.

NSW Labor MP Shaoquett Moselmane leaves the Parliament of New South Wales in June. Picture: AAP

Shaoquett Moselmane, the suspended Labor politician whose home and office were raided by federal agents earlier this year, has had his party membership restored following a meeting with NSW Labor leader Jodi McKay.

Mr Moselmane was suspended by the Australian Labor Party in July following a series of dramatic raids carried out by Australian Federal Police officers investigating foreign interference by the Chinese Communist Party.

The Upper House MLC stood himself aside from parliament but returned in October to sit on the crossbench while his membership remained suspended. On Wednesday he read out a transcript of his police interview with a federal agent to the parliament in which it was explicitly stated he was not a suspect.

Staffer John Zhang, right, was implicated in the raids targeting Labor MP Shaoquett Moselmane, left.

“As I have reiterated to you a number of times, you are not considered a suspect in relation to this investigation,” Mr Moselmane said, reading out remarks made by the AFP officer conducting the interview.

Ms McKay confirmed that she had met with Mr Moselmane on Wednesday and, in light of the new information he had provided to the parliament, had moved to lift his suspension from the ALP.

The AFP recently sent a letter to the parliament neither confirming nor denying Mr Moselmane’s status with regard to the investigation.

“I met with Mr Moselmane in my office and he has provided me with a record of the interview in his home during a police raid in June,” Ms McKay said.

“This document states he is not a suspect in an investigation by Australian Federal Police. If new information arises in the future I will be prepared to take appropriate steps. I warmly welcome Mr Moselmane back into the parliamentary Labor caucus and look forward to working with him.”

The AFP investigation remains ongoing and the subject of High Court of Australia proceedings. While officials never publicly confirmed the focal point of the investigation, it related to the possible infiltration of the NSW Parliament by Chinese Communist Party agents through the office of Mr Moselmane.

The newly-returned Labor MP issued a statement saying he was both delighted and thrilled to be back with the Labor Party.

“I am ready to continue the fight for our underprivileged, our multicultural and Aboriginal communities and to work hand-in-hand with my Labor colleagues and our unions to fight for a fair wage structure and a safe work environment,” he said.

On the same day Mr Moselmane’s home was raided, AFP officers descended on the residence of his part-time staffer John Zhang, considered to be a person of interest to the case.

Mr Zhang has challenged the legality of the warrant and has since resigned from his role with Mr Moselmane.

Both he and Mr Moselmane have not been charged with any offences.

Upon returning to parliament last month, the Labor MP gave a personal statement in which he reaffirmed his position that he had done nothing wrong. He said he remained mystified as to why he had been targeted.

“To date, Mr President, I remain none-the-wiser as to what this investigation is all about. I don’t know why it was necessary for my public humiliation, nor do I know who decided that it was necessary for the media to accompany the police raid into my home.”