A far-right German politician will continue to run in the upcoming European parliamentary elections despite accusations that his adviser was spying for China.
Maximilian Krah, one of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party’s leading candidates for the June election, said he would fire his assistant, Jian G, after his arrest on Monday.
Prosecutors allege Jian G worked for Chinese intelligence and passed information about negotiations and decisions in the European Parliament in January.
He is also accused of spying on Chinese dissidents based on Germany.
The Chinese-German citizen has worked for Krah since 2019.
His arrest at his home in Dresden earlier this week brought new scrutiny to the AfD, which had previously been criticized for being too friendly to Russia.
Mr. Krah’s collaborator was arrested in Dresden. Photo: AP
Krah has said he knew nothing about his assistant’s alleged spying, but said his office would investigate everything he had worked on.
“I am very interested in clarifying this and will endeavor to find out exactly what he is accused of,” Krah told reporters in Berlin, adding: “The election campaign, of course, is terribly overshadowed by this matter.”
The investigation is the latest controversy facing the far-right party that sparked national protests earlier this year after some of its members attended a meeting where the mass deportation of immigrants and asylum seekers was discussed.
In an unrelated case, one of its leaders is also on trial for allegedly using Nazi language, a charge he denies.
News of Jian G’s arrest came a day after three Germans suspected of spying for China and organizing the transfer of information about technology with possible military uses were arrested in a separate investigation.
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On Wednesday, the German Chancellor called the espionage allegations “very worrying” and urged more steps to root out such cases.
Olaf Scholz was speaking at a joint press conference with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak a week earlier, when both countries announced arrests related to alleged Chinese espionage.
The recent arrests “should not make us complacent, but rather encourage us to catch those who spy against us and our security in our countries,” Scholz said.
The AfD said in a statement on Wednesday: “Any influence of foreign states through espionage, but also attempts to buy opinions and positions, must be investigated and firmly prevented.”
He added that Krah will not participate in the next opening ceremony of the electoral campaign.
Sky News has contacted Krah for further comment.