Six weeks ago, I exposed the questionable reporting tactics of journalist David Ross, whose coverage appeared to target a Sydney-based company and, in the process, potentially impacted everyday investors. After that report, one of the figures caught up in the fallout reached out to me to share his side of the story, a version he says has never been properly heard.

Peter Tsegas, a Greek-Australian businessman, told me his ordeal started with what he believed was a routine business meeting in Istanbul back in 2018. Introduced by consultant Stefan Spruck, Peter said he attended simply to explore a potential opportunity.

“Now, I didn’t even know any of the people there. I didn’t know nothing,” he told me. According to Peter, the meeting was uneventful.

But a photograph taken at that dinner meeting, which came at the insistence of the consultant, would later become the centrepiece of mainstream media reporting that Peter says misrepresented him.

Go Ad Free

He claims that after a business relationship with Spruck broke down over commissions, the image was passed on to Ross, a business journalist at The Australian newspaper. What followed, Peter alleges, was a story built on implication rather than fact.

---

Don't miss out! Follow Avi Yemini across social media.

---

“I’ve got this picture of you with this criminal and I’m going to write a story,” Peter recalls Ross telling him. “I don’t have a story… but I have a picture which speaks a thousand words.”

Peter insists he attempted to question the claims but says no effort was made to verify his account.

The situation escalated further when Peter says he read claims suggesting he was wanted by authorities. Alarmed, he went to a police station to check. “I said… I must be wanted. And they said, no, we don’t want you… I mean, it’s absolute garbage.”

Despite maintaining he has no criminal history, Peter says the reputational damage has lingered for years, with articles continuing to resurface online and dominating search results when people Google his name.

He told me he felt powerless to challenge the reporting legally. “You’re up against Murdoch Media… it’s big money… They’ll destroy you.”

Attempts to seek recourse through the Australian Press Council were unsuccessful, with Peter saying his complaint was dismissed due to unrelated legal proceedings.

For Peter, the impact has been deeply personal. “When people… type your name in… that’s what I’m associated with,” he said. “They don’t see any of the good work we’ve done.”

He remains adamant about what he believes should happen next. “I think they should retract everything… Do the right thing.”

Since my initial report, there appears to have been a shift. No further articles from Ross on the matter have been published, and one of his key sources has reportedly been removed from the social media platform X.

For Peter, however, the silence offers little comfort after years of scrutiny.