The Green Party has expressed serious concerns regarding the ongoing investigations into AfD Member of Parliament Maximilian Krah, describing the situation as a warning sign. Irene Mihalic, First Parliamentary Managing Director of the Green Party’s parliamentary group, stated in an interview with the Handelsblatt that the “Krah case demonstrates how dangerous it is to have a parliamentary group in the Bundestag that aligns itself considerably closer to China and Russia than to our democratic constitutional state.
Mihalic emphasized that individuals associated with the AfD are of particular interest to intelligence agencies of autocratic regimes and that the party’s parliamentary presence facilitates access to sensitive information. “This is a serious problem for our security” she added.
The Bundestag voted unanimously on Thursday to waive Krah’s parliamentary immunity, following a recommendation from the Committee on Electoral Control, Immunity and Rules of Procedure. This decision authorizes the enforcement of judicial search and seizure warrants against the AfD parliamentarian.
Krah has been facing allegations of bribery and money laundering, related to payments originating from China during his time as an EU parliamentarian, for several months. Furthermore, a former staff member of Krah’s in the European Parliament is currently under investigation on suspicion of espionage, alleged to have provided information to the Chinese intelligence services.
