German prosecutors charge former far-right AfD party staffer as Chinese spy

By Anadolu staff

BERLIN (AA) - German prosecutors Tuesday have charged a former assistant to a far-right AfD lawmaker with spying for China, nearly a year after his arrest.

The German national, identified only as Jian G., served as an assistant to AfD politician Maximilian Krah while he was a European Parliament lawmaker from 2019 to 2024. Prosecutors said he had been working for Chinese intelligence services since 2002.

“The accused used this position to gather information about deliberations and decisions of the European Parliament for the Chinese service,” prosecutors said in their indictment.

"Jian G. obtained more than 500 documents, including some that the European Parliament had classified as particularly sensitive.”

Additionally, prosecutors accused him of conducting surveillance on Chinese opposition figures in Germany on behalf of the intelligence service.

Prosecutors also charged Chinese national Yaqi X., who worked at Leipzig/Halle airport until her arrest in September 2024.

She allegedly supplied Jian G. with details about flights, cargo, and passengers, specifically information about arms shipments and people linked to a German defense company.

Both suspects remain in pre-trial detention due to the severity of espionage charges and alleged activities against national security interests.

Krah stated after his parliamentary assistant's arrest last year that he had not committed any misconduct and was also interested in the clarification of the accusations against his assistant.

Krah terminated Jian G.'s contract after learning of the arrest and allegations.

Police had searched his European Parliament office as part of the investigation.