AfD lawmaker Maximilian Krah’s immunity lifted amid China bribery probe

Police in Germany have raided the Berlin and Dresden offices of Maximilian Krah, a lawmaker for the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, after his parliamentary immunity was lifted.

The raids were conducted as part of an ongoing investigation into allegations of money laundering and bribery linked to payments Krah allegedly received from China.

On Thursday, the Federal Parliament (Bundestag) unanimously approved a committee recommendation to lift Krah’s immunity, enabling police and prosecutors to conduct searches and seizures related to the case.

The Dresden Public Prosecutor’s Office confirmed it is investigating Krah on suspicion of bribery and money laundering connected to his tenure as a member of the European Parliament.

Krah: Accusations are absurd and politically motivated

Krah has vehemently denied the accusations, describing them as “absurd, fabricated, and entirely politically motivated.”

He called the removal of his immunity a “logical consequence of the investigations against me” and characterized the search of his office as “an attempt at intimidation” against which he will defend himself.

This investigation poses a new legal problem for the far-right AfD.

The party, which became the second-largest political force in parliament with 21% of the vote in recent elections, has faced persistent accusations of fueling political extremism.

Assistant accused of espionage

Concurrent with the case against Krah, his former assistant, Jian Guo, who has worked for him since 2019, is on trial at the Dresden Higher Regional Court.

The Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office accuses Guo of spying for China. Guo denies the allegations.

According to The European Conservative, party colleagues in Brussels had long questioned how Guo secured the position, given his lack of English or German language skills, his aggressive pro-Chinese Communist Party lobbying, and his frequent meetings with unidentified Chinese delegations.

In an interview with the Financial Times last year, Krah claimed Guo’s detention was an “activity” by authorities intended to discredit the AfD before the European elections, describing the situation as “complete paranoia.”

Internal party disputes and other accusations

The scandals surrounding Krah deepened divisions within the AfD last year. After his assistant, Guo, was arrested on espionage charges, Krah was summoned to Berlin by party leader Alice Weidel and barred from the party’s European election campaign launch.

Less than a day after the party achieved strong results in the European elections, it was announced that Krah would not join the AfD delegation in Brussels, despite having been the party’s lead candidate.

The 15-member delegation voted to expel Krah, with eight votes in favor, four against, and three abstentions.

Before the vote, Krah stated, “My expulsion will not prevent me from continuing to work loudly and successfully for this party in the European Parliament.”

In a video posted on social media following the vote, he declared, “This approach is wrong,” warning that the decision sent a negative signal to the party’s youth base.

In a statement on Thursday, AfD co-chairs Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla adopted a cautious tone, describing the lifting of immunity and the subsequent searches as “serious matters.”

The statement added, “As the AfD parliamentary group, we expect the investigation to be concluded quickly and the results to be published.”

In May, German intelligence agencies officially classified the AfD as a suspected extremist organization. This designation allows authorities to employ more extensive surveillance tools, including wiretapping.