This archive report was first published on 25 November 2019.
On November 25, 2019, Australian authorities were investigating an alleged plot by China to recruit a businessman and get him elected as a member of parliament.
The allegations, made by the Nine network programme '60 Minutes', claimed that suspected Chinese agents had offered Chinese-Australian Bo 'Nick' Zhao Aus$1 million (Sh69m) to run as a candidate in a federal seat in Melbourne.
According to the programme, Zhao had reportedly disclosed the alleged approach to the Australia Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) last year, before he was found dead in a motel room in March.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison described the allegations as 'deeply disturbing and troubling', stating that Australia was 'not naive to the threats that it faces more broadly.'
ASIO head Mike Burgess said the agency was 'previously aware of the matters' and has been 'actively investigating them', but would not comment further due to the ongoing inquest into Zhao's death.
Parliamentary intelligence committee chief Andrew Hastie described the alleged episode as 'surreal' and 'like something out of a spy novel', stating that it was a 'state-sponsored attempt to infiltrate our parliament using an Australian citizen.'
