The German federal prosecutor’s office announced searches on Tuesday, May 7, in the premises of the MEP of the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party, Maximilian Krah, in the European Parliament, as part of suspicions of espionage for of China against one of his assistants.
Mr. Krah, head of the far-right party list in the June 9 election, is not targeted by these accusations, and the search of his Brussels offices is part of a procedure “concerning witnesses,” However, the prosecution clarified in a press release. The Belgian federal prosecutor’s office told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that it had supervised the procedure, without giving further details.
The searches are linked to the April 23 arrest of Jian Guo, a German collaborator of Mr. Krah, accused of spying on Chinese opponents in Germany and sharing information about the European Parliament with a Chinese intelligence service. “The European Parliament has given its consent to enter the premises,” said the German prosecutor’s office, recalling that Jian Guo’s apartment in Brussels had already been searched on April 24.
“Parliament is fully cooperating with law enforcement and judicial authorities in order to facilitate the course of justice and will continue to do so if asked,” said the latter’s services. “It is in this context that access to the office was granted,” they added.
Documents belonging to Mr. Krah covered by immunity
Mr. Krah confirmed the search “of his ex-colleague’s office” in a reaction on his X account. “It was predictable after his arrest and is therefore not at all surprising,” he wrote , expressing surprise that it took “this long” to do it. “Neither I nor any other staff member are affected,” he added.
German law provides that a search can be carried out at the homes of MPs and members of the European Parliament when they are not suspects, as a measure for witnesses. All documents belonging to Mr. Krah are covered by immunity.
The revelation at the end of April of suspicions of espionage by a Chinese agent in the heart of the European Parliament fueled fears of interference from Beijing aimed at undermining democracies before the June elections.
The case came the day after the arrest in Germany of three nationals, also accused of spying for China, and the indictment of two men in London on similar suspicions.
