German police initially arrested Jian G. in late April on the charge that he had acted as an agent for China. Prosecutors allege the assistant repeatedly passed on information about “negotiations and decisions in the European Parliament” to Chinese intelligence agents. He is also accused of spying on Chinese opposition members inside Germany.
Krah has denied any wrongdoing and has not been charged with any crimes.
At the same time, German public prosecutor in the city of Dresden have initiated preliminary investigations into Krah on the suspicion he received payments from Russia and China “for his work as an MEP.”
Krah remains the AfD’s lead candidate for the European election, though party leaders have decided that he should take a lower profile in the campaign in order “not to damage the election campaign or the reputation of the party.”
It’s unclear the extent to which the allegations will hurt the AfD. For years, the AfD became more popular even as it became increasingly extreme. But since the beginning of this year, the party has been hit by a string of scandals that appear to have halted its rise.
Despite a recent slide in polls, the AfD’s core supporters, particularly in its eastern German strongholds, remain loyal to the party, and the party continues to poll in second place nationally.
A spokesperson from the Belgian prosecutor’s office confirmed it had received a legal assistance request from its German counterpart and is cooperating with them in the case.
Pauline von Pezold contributed to this article.
