German prosecutors have officially filed a lawsuit against a Chinese man who used to work for a German member of the European Parliament, accusing him of engaging in espionage activities for the Chinese Communist Party for more than four years. The Federal Prosecutor’s Office in Germany stated that Jian Guo was charged with collecting and transmitting negotiation and decision-making information from the European Parliament to the Chinese intelligence services between September 2019 and April 2024, involving over 500 documents, including highly sensitive classified files marked by the European Parliament.
In addition, he is also accused of monitoring Chinese dissidents in Germany and gathering intelligence on key political figures of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. Guo Jian, a German citizen, is currently in custody and previously worked as an assistant to Maximilian Krah, a German member of the European Parliament. Krah was the lead candidate for the AfD in the European Parliament elections last June.
The Chinese Embassy in Berlin, the AfD, and Krah’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comments from Reuters. According to the country’s privacy regulations, the Federal Prosecutor’s Office publicly identified him as Jian G. Krah, Guo’s former boss, had confirmed his identity before. Krah did not immediately respond to requests for comments on Tuesday.
Guo Jian was arrested in April last year, and this explosive Chinese espionage incident sent shockwaves through the German political scene. Krah had asserted his innocence and vowed to investigate the matter. The party subsequently barred him from participating in the EU elections a few weeks later. However, earlier this year, he secured a seat in the German parliament as part of the party’s historic victory.
Meanwhile, German prosecutors have also officially indicted another Chinese citizen, Yaqi X., who worked at a logistics company. She is charged with providing flight, cargo, and passenger information from Leipzig Airport to Guo Jian, including details on military equipment transportation and individuals linked to German arms manufacturers. Yaqi X. was arrested in the eastern German city of Leipzig in September last year, and at that time, the police conducted searches at her apartment and workplace.