The 'spy' who came in from the heat Ari Jenshel denies Vanuatu claims

AN Australian government lawyer accused of espionage has been expelled from Vanuatu amid a search of his office and confiscation of his files and computer.

AN Australian government lawyer accused of espionage has been expelled from Vanuatu amid a search of his office and confiscation of his files and computer.

Ari Jenshel, 40, who was thrown out of the Pacific nation after the Gillard government was warned he faced imminent arrest over his activities as senior adviser in the office of the Attorney-General in Port Vila, told The Australian yesterday: "I am not a spy and I have never been a spook."

Mr Jenshel, a former Australian Defence Force lawyer seconded to Vanuatu five years ago as part of an AusAID program, said any adverse findings against him by the Vanuatu police would be based on fabrications.

"I was removed with scandalously short notice - it was very Cold War - after a threat from the Vanuatu government that I would be arrested," he said.

"It's not the first time I have been called a spy. Allegations of spying against foreign advisers in the Pacific are tediously common. But I am not a spy.

"In my role, I reported on operational matters only to the Vanuatu government, not the Australian government. After the arrest threat, it was the preference of the Australian high commission I be removed. I'm aware of the allegations of spying . . . and they are ridiculous. I have a lot more detail about that, but I would need permission from AusAID and the Department of Foreign Affairs to discuss it."

Among claims being investigated by the police in Vanuatu are that sensitive government documents have been copied and sent to the Australian government in Canberra.

Police have been asked to investigate whether Mr Jenshel helped the Australian Taxation Office in its long-running $300 million multi-agency Project Wickenby blitz on tax evasion, which has taken particular interest in the bank accounts of Australians in the tax haven of Vanuatu.

Police sources said documents allegedly copied related to talks between leaders of Pacific countries, including Vanuatu, to work closely with Fiji's military ruler, Frank Bainimarama.

Mr Jenshel, who described his time in Vanuatu as "fairly reclusive" because of his legal post, rejected the claims yesterday, saying: "It was not my role to disclose to the Australian government any details about files I was working on, which were subject to client confidentiality.

"I'm also supposed to have forged a decision - and that's just not true.

"I've done nothing wrong. It's all politics and a smear campaign."

Vanuatu Finance Minister Moana Carcasses Kalosil told The Australian Mr Jenshel was suspected of espionage and his role in the Attorney-General's office ensured high-level access to confidential Vanuatu government business and legal affairs, including taxation policy.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said Mr Jenshel "left Vanuatu on the first available flight" last week and Australia's high commissioner had met Prime Minister Sato Kilman "to discuss our concerns about the circumstances of the adviser's departure".

"No reason was provided for the removal of the adviser," DFAT said. "(DFAT) remains unaware of any evidence the adviser acted illegally or inappropriately. All Australian advisers work at the official request and invitation of our partner governments."

Mr Carcasses said he would not support any move for an Australian citizen to replace Mr Jenshel in the Australian taxpayer-funded role. He said he would not have supported the immediate removal of Mr Jenshel if it were not serious.

"It is a sensitive office and a very important office because all the information of the Vanuatu government goes through it," the minister said. "I have recommended to the PM that anyone working in that office should not be from Australia.

"Vanuatu is regarded as a tax haven, and we know the Australian government is trying to get as much information as it can on Australian citizens who pay their taxes in Vanuatu.

"I am a great fan of Australia, and I can understand that a country that puts so much money into Vanuatu would want to know more about it. But we have sovereignty and our own laws, and we expect other countries to know that. We have four inspectors of police doing the investigation, looking at files and computers." A senior source in the Council of Chiefs (cabinet) in Vanuatu said yesterday: "The Australian High Commissioner is well aware the Vanuatu government, including the Prime Minister and members of the cabinet, have been very disturbed about the adviser."

Australia, which has budgeted about $70 million in aid for Vanuatu over the next year, funds the secondment of Australian citizens to key positions in Port Vila and other Pacific countries to improve their governance, but the arrangement leaves them exposed to espionage claims.

Australia's hardline position against Commodore Bainimarama since his military coup in Fiji is at odds with the views of Pacific leaders who acknowledge his "roadmap" for change and democracy.