AFP charges Australian man who allegedly sold information to foreign spies

An Australian man has been charged with a foreign interference offence after allegedly sharing information with individuals who work for a foreign intelligence service.

The 55-year-old man, who is an Australian national but normally lives overseas, was arrested at a residence in the Sydney suburb of Bondi on Friday, the Australian federal police said in a statement. He operates a business overseas and recently returned to the country, the AFP said.

He is due to appear in court on Saturday on one count of reckless foreign interference, which carries a maximum penalty of 15 years behind bars.

The AFP will allege that he was contacted over social media by an individual who claimed to be from a thinktank.

The AFP alleges the man put together a number of reports for them and was paid for his reports.

The man is the second person to be charged by the taskforce since the federal parliament passed the Espionage and Foreign Interference Bill in 2018.