BERLIN

A German court has sentenced a former aide to Alternative for Germany (AfD) lawmaker Maximilian Krah to four years and nine months in prison for spying on behalf of China.

The Higher Regional Court in Dresden determined that Jian G. had engaged in intelligence activities "of a particularly serious nature" while working in Krah's office at the European Parliament from 2019 to 2024.

During the trial, prosecutors alleged that the accused collected and shared partially confidential documents with Chinese officials while employed by Krah. They also claimed he gathered personal information on AfD leadership and surveilled Chinese dissidents residing in Germany.

Jian G. consistently maintained his innocence throughout the proceedings. "I have not worked for a Chinese intelligence service and I am innocent," he said during last week's hearing.

A co-defendant, Chinese national Yaqi X., received a suspended sentence of one year and nine months. She admitted to sharing information while working for a logistics company at Leipzig Airport but denied knowledge of any espionage activities.

Far-right AfD lawmaker Krah repeatedly denied any knowledge of his former assistant's alleged espionage activities. "I have taken the necessary consequences immediately after the arrest and significantly increased security in my office," he told German press agency DPA.

Krah, now a member of the German parliament, faces his own legal challenges. Dresden prosecutors are investigating him separately on corruption and money laundering charges connected to alleged Chinese payments. The German parliament recently removed Krah's immunity to permit searches of his premises.

He has denied these allegations, describing them as "absurd, fabricated, and purely politically motivated."