A former aide to a prominent member of Germany’s far-right AfD party has been sentenced to four years and nine months in prison for espionage activities on behalf of China. Jian Guo was employed in Brussels by Maximilian Krah, a current member of the German parliament and former European Parliament member, for five years until last year.
The court in Dresden heard that Guo collected confidential documents and shared them with Chinese authorities. Despite these charges, Guo has consistently claimed his innocence, stating he did not work for Chinese intelligence. Krah, during his testimony, remarked that he first became aware of the allegations against Guo through media reports.
Prosecutors accused Guo, a German national, of collaboration with Chinese intelligence since 2002, which has raised alarms about espionage concerns within the European Union. He was also charged with monitoring Chinese dissidents and opposition figures in Germany.
The court classified the case as particularly serious. In a statement made at the trial, Guo reiterated his denial of involvement with any intelligence agency. Additionally, he was alleged to have acted as an intermediary for another individual, Yaqi X, who was linked to a logistics company at Leipzig airport. Yaqi X received a suspended prison sentence for providing information about cargo, flights, and passengers but denied any awareness of espionage activities.
Following Guo’s sentencing, Krah noted that he promptly increased security measures in his office after the arrest. Earlier this year, Krah resigned from his European Parliament position after being elected to the Bundestag. He is currently under investigation by the Dresden Public Prosecutor’s Office related to accusations of money laundering and corruption, which he has dismissed as politically motivated.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c99g52y7k1xo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss