The woman is alleged to have received her instructions from a Chinese security officer over the app WeChat. Photo: Michelle Kroll.
A “trusted member” of Canberra’s Chinese community accused of spying on a Buddhist group has a large amount of unexplained wealth and was paid over $230,000 by China’s government, police allege.
Newly released court documents prepared by the Australian Federal Police (AFP) shed light on the accusations against the first person to be arrested for foreign interference involving the alleged targeting of members of the community.
It is alleged the woman covertly and deceptively collected information on the international Buddhist group Guan Yin Citta Dharma Door on behalf of the Chinese Government between 2022 and 2025.
The documents were released about a week after the woman, who legally cannot be named, was refused bail when she first faced the ACT Magistrates Court.
Police allege she entered into an intelligence relationship with an officer in China’s Public Security Bureau, which is part of the country’s police force, in 2022.
From that year to May 2025, this officer allegedly gave her numerous covert and deceptive information operations to support the intelligence activities of his government.
These taskings were allegedly given to her in person and over encrypted communications applications, such as the popular Chinese app, WeChat.
Police raided the woman’s home in Canberra on 30 July and seized her mobile phone, on which they claim they found evidence to support their allegations.
It is alleged that she infiltrated Guan Yin Citta and covertly gathered information, including details on their leaders, home addresses of former leaders, locations of various chapters and financial data.
She also allegedly provided information on Oriental Radio, such as the organisation’s affiliations with the Buddhist group and its sentiment on other topics like Taiwan.
The intelligence taskings were allegedly sent from a WeChat handle matching the PSB officer’s name, province and bureau.
Police tried speaking to the woman when searching her home, but she provided “no comment” answers when they asked about her alleged conversations with the officer.
She was arrested a few days later, on 2 August.
In a bail consideration form also prepared by the AFP, police allege the woman has been paid more than $230,000 by the Chinese Government since 2017.
Officers allegedly found an extremely large quantity of unexplained wealth at her home, including numerous Hermes bags, one of which was worth $30,000, and “large quantities of boxes for luxury handbags that were too numerous to practicably count”.
They also allegedly found large quantities of goods from luxury brands like Burberry, Gucci and Louis Vuitton, $5000 in cash, a receipt for a $24,000 Rolex and an item that was redacted in the bail consideration form but was worth $400,000. In addition, she is the full or part owner of multiple properties.
The officers apparently saw she had five suitcases in her lounge room when they arrested her.
The woman, a Chinese-born permanent resident of Australia, was charged with an offence of reckless foreign interference, which carries a maximum of 15 years’ jail.
She has not entered a plea, has been remanded in custody and will return to court in September.
The AFP say Guan Yin Citta is based on Mahayana Buddhist teachings and includes elements of Chinese folk religion and spiritual practices. It was founded by Chinese-born Australian Richard Jun Hong Lu in 2006.
The police also say the Chinese Communist Party views any Chinese political party or religious movement that it does not control as a threat to its regime’s stability. Therefore, the party targets individuals and groups using tactics like surveillance, coercion by proxy and mobility controls.
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