Even as the Australian Defence Department issues a more lengthy statement denying any ban on Lenovo computers due to spying concerns, the Austrlian Financial Review insists its story is correct.

The newspaper says Western spy agencies, including the United States, won’t use Lenovo PCs for a variety of security concerns.

Here is the expanded statement as published by Australia’s defense agency:

“Media articles in The Australian Financial Review, 27 and 29 July 2013

“On Thursday, 25 July 2013 The Australian Financial Review asked Defence:

“’We wanted to confirm that Lenovo computer products are not permitted to be used on the Defence Secret Network and the Defence Top Secret Network.’

“Defence provided the following response:

“’Defence has an accreditation process for all equipment used on Defence networks. There has never been a request to Defence to accredit Lenovo computer products for the Top Secret and Secret Networks.”’

“Following this media enquiry, reports published on 27 and 29 July 2013 in The Australian Financial Review allege a Department of Defence ban on the use of Lenovo computer equipment on the Defence Secret and Top Secret Networks.‬‪ ‬‪

“This reporting is factually incorrect. There is no Department of Defence ban on the Lenovo Company or their computer products; either for classified or unclassified systems.‬”

However, the newspaper is standing by its reporting.

“This information had been cross-referenced by multiple reporters with five independent and ‘primary’ intelligence and defence intelligence sources in Australia and the UK,” the Financial review said in a story posted Thursday evening in Australia.

In another story, the newspaper cited an unnamed official as confirming a ban on Lenovo machines by British intelligence agencies:

“A senior defence official has confirmed that there has been a ban on the use of Lenovo computer products on classified networks in the United Kingdom, as previously disclosed by The Australian Financial Review. Defence officials verified the formal ban with UK counterparts following a report in Weekend AFR on July 27.”

The story contains no further information about that confirmation..

WRALTechWire has been in communication with Lenovo from the start of this story over the weekend. The company has issued two statements, which we have reported.

Links to all these stories as well as our previously reporting are included with this report.