Lange denied that Krah’s office had retrieved documents with the classification level “restricted” via the trade committee. The “limited/sensitive” classification refers to sensitive content that is not necessarily subject to confidentiality.
“Maximilian Krah has never received any EU Restricted documents” in the trade committee, Lange said. But Lange said the full extent of the scandal is still unclear.
“It is really disappointing that we have no clear facts and names from the attorney or from the secret services,” Lange said. “This creates a situation of mistrust and uncertainty.”
German public prosecutors in the city of Dresden earlier this week initiated preliminary investigations into Krah over the corruption allegations involving Russia and China. Before that, German police on Monday arrested one of Krah’s parliamentary aides, identified as Jian G., over claims he spied for China.
The Federal Prosecutor General accuses Jian G. of having passed on internal European Parliament information to China. This activity most recently included information on a motion for a resolution directed against China’s persecution of minorities such as the Uyghurs and Tibetans, according to German news outlet WELT. Jian G., a German citizen born in China, is currently in custody. He was fired by Krah after the allegations came to light.
Krah told the Süddeutsche Zeitung that a review he had initiated had revealed that Jian G. did not have access to classified documents.
