Billionaire Chau Chak Wing denies being foreign ‘puppeteer’

Chau Chak Wing has hit back at a claim made under parliamentary privilege that he is the ‘puppeteer’ in a foreign interference plot to bankroll Australian political candidates.

Chau Chak Wing. Picture: AAP

Chinese-Australian billionaire Chau Chak Wing has hit back at a claim made under parliamentary privilege that he is the “puppeteer” in a foreign interference plot to bankroll Australian political candidates.

Labor senator Kimberley Kitching on Monday night quizzed ASIO director-general Mike Burgess about the foiled plot, first revealed last week in his annual threat assessment.

“I am reliably informed that ‘the puppeteer’ mentioned in your case study in your annual threat assessment speech last week is Chau Chak Wing,” Senator Kitching said.

“I believe it to be Chau Chak Wing. Are you able to confirm it is Chau Chak Wing?”

Mr Burgess declined to comment, telling a Senate estimates hearing: “Senator as I’ve said before, I will not comment on speculation of who is and who isn’t targets in general or … specifically. I think it is unfair you ask me that question in public.”

On Tuesday afternoon Dr Chau issued a statement labelling the claim by Senator Kitching as “baseless”.

“I am shocked and disappointed at the baseless and reckless claim made by senator Kimberley Kitching during a Senate estimates hearing on Monday,” he said.

“It is always unfortunate when elected representatives use the shield of parliamentary privilege as a platform to vilify and attack Australian citizens without producing a shred of evidence.

“I am a businessman and philanthropist. I have never had any involvement or interest in interfering with the democratic election process in Australia.”

By naming Dr Chau under parliamentary privilege on Monday night, Senator Kitching cannot be sued for defamation.

Dr Chau, who was last year awarded a large sum in a defamation case involving similar allegations, challenged Senator Kitching to repeat her claim outside parliament.

A property developer and political donor, Dr Chau was last year awarded $590,000 in a defamation case against the ABC and Nine over a Four Corners episode in 2017 that portrayed him as a Chinese Communist Party spy.

He was previously named in parliament for alleged links to the Chinese Communist Party by Liberal MP Andrew Hastie, who alleged in 2018 that the businessman was a co-conspirator in an FBI bribery case.

Mr Burgess last week revealed there had been a sophisticated attempt by a spy ring to rig an election in Australia.

He said it involved a wealthy individual, whom he dubbed the “puppeteer”, but he would not reveal the jurisdiction or election involved, or the foreign interest behind the plot. “This case involved a wealthy individual who maintained direct and deep connections with a foreign government and its intelligence agencies,” he said. “This agent of interference has roots in Australia but did the bidding of offshore masters, knowingly… seeking to advance the interests of the foreign power and … undermine Australia’s sovereignty.”

Mr Burgess told Senate estimates on Monday ASIO was “not here to be politicised … we are here to protect Australians from threats to their security. We are guided by law and that requires us to act in an apolitical fashion.”

Additional reporting: NCA Newswire