On Thursday, September 11th, German police conducted a raid on the office and residence of a German Alternative for Germany (AfD) federal parliament member, as part of a money laundering and corruption investigation related to Chinese funds.
Earlier that day, the German Federal Parliament revoked the immunity of Maximilian Krah, who also serves as a member of the European Parliament. Following this decision, the police searched Krah’s parliamentary office in Berlin, as well as his residences and offices in the eastern German city of Dresden and the EU headquarters in Brussels, where he served as a member of the European Parliament.
According to reports from Deutsche Presse-Agentur (DPA), the raid was ordered by the Dresden Higher Regional Court.
The Dresden prosecutor’s office confirmed the raid, stating that they are investigating a German parliament member accused of accepting bribes and engaging in money laundering as an elected representative of the European Parliament, with ties to Chinese funds.
The revocation of immunity by the Federal Parliament is a necessary procedural step. After disqualification, the prosecutors can file charges against the individual.
Krah responded by calling the allegations “absurd and fabricated, purely driven by political motives,” and described the search of his office as intimidation, vowing to defend himself against these accusations.
This raid marks another legal setback for the far-right political party, the Alternative for Germany, known as AfD. The party garnered 20.8% of the votes in the February 2025 German elections, becoming the second-largest political force in the German Federal Parliament. However, it also faces allegations of inciting political extremism.
This incident traces back to April 2024 when Krah’s assistant, Guo Jian, was arrested by German police on suspicion of engaging in espionage activities for the Chinese Communist Party. Intelligence agencies stated that Guo had been involved in spying for over four years, leaking information regarding European Parliament negotiations and decisions back to Beijing from September 2019 to April 2024. Guo denies these allegations and is currently on trial in Dresden.
According to DPA, the Dresden prosecutors initiated a preliminary investigation in May 2025, probing Krah’s alleged involvement in bribery and money laundering while serving as a member of the European Parliament.
The report indicates that authorities are now looking into whether there is enough evidence to press charges or if the legal proceedings should be terminated. Krah had previously denied these allegations.
The co-leaders of the Alternative for Germany party, Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla, responded cautiously to the events, labeling the revocation of immunity and search as “serious matters.” They added that they look forward to a swift conclusion of the investigation and the public disclosure of its findings.