The 39-year-old Chinese national was arrested at Sydney International Airport on 24 July and extradited to Queensland. Image: AFP video screenshot.
A joint operation by the Queensland Police Service, the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) has resulted in a Queensland man’s extradition from NSW after he was charged with the attempted bribery of a public official.
Upper Mt Gravatt Criminal Investigation Branch detectives in Brisbane established Operation Yankee Borderlands in response to the official’s report of an alleged crime, and began joint investigations with the AFP and NACC.
The operation culminated in Guoxin Zhu being arrested as he attempted to board an international flight in Sydney on Friday, 24 July.
The 39-year-old Chinese national is reported to be a manager of Growatt New Energy, a global renewable energy company that produces solar inverters and batteries. He is alleged to have attempted to bribe a Commonwealth public official from the Clean Energy Council during a business meeting at Camp Hill in Brisbane on 9 July.
Police have alleged Mr Zhu handed the official what appeared to be a bag of tea, but which was later found to contain $20,000 cash, and that the attempted bribery was for business gain.
On Saturday (25 July), the Queensland Police Service successfully applied for Mr Zhu’s extradition during an appearance at Surry Hills’ Bail Division Court of New South Wales, and he was extradited to Queensland on Saturday evening.
Mr Zhu appeared before Brisbane Magistrates Court on 27 July on one count of gift or offer a secret commission to an agent, contrary to s. 442BA(b) of the Criminal Code.
His lawyer argued that, while the allegations were serious, Mr Zhu deserved to be released on bail if he surrendered his passport.
The magistrate refused his bid, saying there was strong evidence against Mr Zhu and a risk that he would attempt to leave the country if released.
Mr Zhu is due to reappear in court next week.
Acting National Anti-Corruption Commissioner Kylie Kilgour said the investigation was a reminder of the commission’s remit.
“In this case, the alleged corrupt conduct is an example of someone attempting to influence a Commonwealth public official’s honest and impartial performance of their duties and functions,” she said.
“This is a form of corrupt conduct under the NACC Act.”
