German parliament strips immunity of far-right lawmaker amid China payments probe

BERLIN

The German parliament on Thursday lifted the immunity of far-right lawmaker Maximilian Krah, paving the way for authorities to search his premises in an investigation related to alleged payments from China.

Krah, a member of the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD), denied the accusations and said he would fight against them.

"The allegations are absurd, fabricated, and purely politically motivated. The search of my office is an attempt at intimidation, which I will defend myself against," he said in a statement posted on social media.

German news magazine Der Spiegel reported that prosecutors in Dresden are carrying out an investigation against the AfD lawmaker on suspicion of bribery and money laundering. The investigation centers on allegations that Krah received money from Chinese sources during his previous tenure as a member of the European Parliament.

Krah's former staffer, Jian Guo, was arrested last year and is currently on trial for suspected espionage for Chinese intelligence.

Prosecutors claim Guo began working as a Chinese intelligence operative in 2002 and continued his espionage activities while serving as Krah's parliamentary assistant from September 2019 until his arrest in April 2024.

He allegedly also monitored Chinese opposition figures in Germany at the intelligence service's request.