Chinese-Australian billionaire Chau Chak Wing had a reputation of being a very generous, honourable and ethical man, his defamation lawsuit against the ABC and Nine has been told.
Former vice-chancellor of Sydney's University of Technology, Ross Milbourne, said Dr Chau donated $20 million for its new business school building and another $5 million for scholarships.
Dr Chau's daughter, Winky Chau, also testified in the Federal Court on Wednesday saying her father had been very hurt about being "accused of being a spy and painted as really corrupt" in a June 2017 Four Corners broadcast.
The businessman is suing the ABC, Nine and journalist Nick McKenzie, an investigative reporter at The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald, over the joint report.
McKenzie presented the program and the investigation included an accompanying article on the ABC website.
In a statement of claim, Mr Chau's lawyers say the broadcast and article defamed their client in six ways including by suggesting he is a spy who "betrayed his country, Australia, in order to serve the interests of a foreign power, China".
They also say the publications suggest Mr Chau "donated enormous sums of money to Australian political parties as bribes intended to influence politicians to make decisions to advance the interests of the Republic of China, the Chinese government and the Chinese Communist Party".
Sydney University's director of museum and cultural engagement, David Ellis, on Wednesday described Dr Chau as very generous and "a quiet giver".
He had donated $15 million to the museum, which was due to open in five weeks.
Like all proposed benefactors, an investigation took place and he was deemed to be a very generous philanthropist interested in the arts and culture, and in supporting Australian-Chinese relations.
Dr Chau previously successfully sued Fairfax Media for defamation over a 2015 story which insinuated he bribed a former UN president.
Mr Ellis said after the publication of that article he received a flurry of emails asking whether the university should be concerned about Dr Chau.
While this had died down to some degree by the time of the Four Corners show, the broadcast resulted in more negative comments asking if funding should be accepted from him after such serious allegations.
The hearing continues before Justice Steven Rares.
