The Member of the German Parliament for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party Maximilian Krah enters the premises of the higher regional court in Dresden, eastern Germany, on September 3, 2025, as he arrives to give testimony in the trial against two suspected spies for China, one of whom worked as an assistant of Krah between 2019 and 2024. Krah’s former aide Jian G. allegedly worked for Chinese intelligence from 2002, including while working in the Brussels office of Krah when he was an MEP between 2019 and 2024. G., who denies the charges, is accused of passing on to Beijing more than 500 documents, some deemed highly sensitive, as well as information about decisions and debates at the European Parliament. (Photo by JENS SCHLUETER / AFP)
Far-right German politician Maximilian Krah in court on Wednesday has denied having any knowledge of an aide’s alleged espionage for China.
Alternative for Germany (AfD) lawmaker Krah giving evidence at the Higher Regional Court in Dresden, said he first learned from the media that a former staffer from his previous role as a member of the European Parliament, Jian Guo, was suspected of spying.
“At no time was I warned by any public authority, whether from the Federal Republic (of Germany) or the EU, of any danger,” Krah said in the witness stand.
Security checks at the European Parliament were “very thorough”, he added, meaning that he assumed “everything would be fine”.
Prosecutors allege that Guo, a German national, worked for Chinese intelligence from 2002, including while working in the Brussels office of Krah when he was an MEP between 2019 and 2024.
Guo, who denies the charges, is accused of passing on to Beijing more than 500 documents, some deemed highly sensitive, as well as information about decisions and debates at the European Parliament.
Guo is also accused of being the handler for a second alleged operative, a Chinese national identified as Yaqi X., who is accused of spying on German defence companies.
Krah said he had employed Guo in his office because of his language skills as well as his experience running an import-export firm.
As an MEP, Krah served on the committee on international trade.
At the start of proceedings, Yaqi X. admitted passing on information to Guo about flight schedules and cargo movements at Leipzig-Halle airport, where she worked in logistics.
The trial is expected to run through September. If found guilty, Guo faces up to 10 years in jail, while Yaqi X. could be imprisoned for up to five years.
Separately, Krah is under investigation on suspicion of money laundering and bribery during his time as a member of the European Parliament.
He has previously denied the allegations and said they were “politically motivated”.
