A former ASIO agent may testify publicly before the commission in the Bondy case
A former agent of the Australian Security and Intelligence Organization (ASIO), known as Marcus, may testify at public hearings of the royal commission into the Bondi attack. The testimony may also be heard remotely, said Australian Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke, according to ABC News Australia.
According to Burke, ASIO Director-General Mike Burgess informed the commission that all information Marcus could provide has been declassified. The minister noted that his testimony could be heard in a public setting—by phone, via Microsoft Teams, or by any other method Marcus chooses.
Marcus is currently outside Australia and has been trying to obtain a visa to return to the country. He has insisted that he must testify in Australia specifically due to the sensitivity of the information and the legal protection afforded by being on Australian soil. His first visa application was denied because immigration authorities were not convinced that he would actually leave the country after entering. His second application is still under review.
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Burke stated that visa applications are processed in the usual manner in accordance with the Migration Act, and there was no interference in the procedure. According to him, the decision on whether an applicant meets the legal requirements is made by the relevant department.
According to ABC, Marcus spent years infiltrating Islamist extremist groups in western Sydney while working as a paid informant for ASIO, until his cover was blown. He claimed that several years before last year’s attack in Bondi, he had warned ASIO about Saeed and Navid Akram. The agency described the former agent as disgruntled and unreliable, a characterization Marcus rejected.
The Royal Commission previously stated that it sought to hear his testimony and determine the best way to obtain it. The New South Wales Police also approached Marcus for assistance in their own investigation of the shooting. Representatives of the whistleblower advocacy group Information Rights Project believe it would be safest for him to testify in Australia, as the protection provided by the commission does not extend beyond the country’s borders.
