May 7, 2024
Today at
16:48
Belgian agents searched the Brussels office of far-right MEP Maximilian Krah (AfD) on Tuesday, with the help of German authorities. One of the German’s employees was previously arrested on suspicion of espionage.
Both the offices of Krah and Jian G., his now ex-employee, were searched. Two weeks ago, G. was arrested on suspicion of espionage for China. The MEP distanced himself from G. and denied all involvement.
Maximilian Krah is party leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) in the European elections of June 9. A preliminary investigation into him was previously launched after reports of payments from Russia. German authorities confirm that Krah was not the target of the search in Brussels. “The measures are part of the proceedings against G. on suspicion of acting as an intelligence agent,” German prosecutors said.
The police services did not have access to Krah’s documents due to his parliamentary immunity, but the MEP himself gave permission for the search of his office. Krah says he regrets that the search took a long time and emphasizes that he and other employees are not involved.
G. is of Chinese descent and has worked for Krah since 2019. He was arrested in mid-April on suspicion of espionage and has since been in pre-trial detention. He is accused of spying on Chinese opponents in Germany and of sharing information about the European Parliament with a Chinese intelligence service. His arrest fueled fears of Chinese interference and attempts to influence the June elections. Several cases of Chinese espionage have come to light in recent months. For example, Belgian MP Els Van Hoof (CD&V) was hacked by Chinese spies, and at the end of last month two Britons were charged in Great Britain with providing damaging information to China.
