On Thursday, an Australian court imposed the first punishment under a recently enacted foreign interference law on a conspiracy to sway a federal minister in favor of China.

Di Sanh "Sunny" Duong, found guilty in December of "preparing for, or planning, a foreign interference offense," was given a maximum sentence of two years and nine months in prison, with a 12-month release period. This punishment was imposed by Victorian County Court Judge Richard Maidment.

Since the National Security Legislation Amendment (Espionage and Foreign Interference) Bill was introduced by Parliament in 2018, Duong is the first individual in Australia to be found guilty of a foreign interference violation. The maximum sentence for the offense is ten years in prison.

As a member of the Victorian Liberal Party and well-liked in the community, Duong "exploited" these credentials to gain access to Alan Tudge, a member of the same party and the federal minister for cities, urban infrastructure, and population. This, according to the judge, made his offense more serious.

The businessman, who was born in Vietnam and is well-known in Australian-Chinese society, reached out to Tudge in 2020 and offered to donate $37,450 (US$24,400) to Australia's fight against COVID-19. The Oceania Federation of Chinese Associations from Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos—of which Duong served as president—was responsible for raising the funds.

The money was later given to the Royal Melbourne Hospital during a high-profile press conference where Duong stood next to Tudge and gave a novelty check.

The judge stated that Duong tried to include Tudge in the charitable donation specifically because of his political standing. The gift was part of a clandestine scheme to gain favor with the politician and maybe convince him to change Australian government policy in the future to benefit the Chinese Communist Party, even though it was presented as a selfless act, the court heard.