Maximilian Krah, recently elected to Germany’s incoming parliament, has denied any knowledge of espionage activities carried out by his former aide. Speaking to POLITICO, Krah stated, “I was obviously deceived,” and admitted he should exercise greater caution when hiring staff in the future.
A spokesperson for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party told POLITICO that the party remains unaware of what specific intelligence the former aide may have gathered about AfD leadership or internal operations.
According to a report by Der Spiegel, investigators discovered Chinese-language documents in the office of Jian G., Krah’s former aide. These documents allegedly contained detailed internal assessments about key AfD figures, including its party leaders.
Prosecutors have also charged another suspect in connection with the case: Yaqi X., a woman working for a logistics company at Leipzig/Halle airport. She was arrested in October 2024 and is suspected of supplying Jian G. with information about the movement of military equipment, as well as individuals connected to a German arms manufacturer.
Both Jian G. and Yaqi X. are currently in custody. Krah himself has not been named as a defendant in the espionage investigation.
However, Krah is under separate preliminary investigation by the public prosecutor’s office in Dresden. Authorities are looking into allegations he received illicit payments from Russia and China. Krah, who transitioned from a seat in the European Parliament to the German Bundestag earlier this year, has denied those accusations.
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