A German parliamentary representative, Maximilian Krah of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, is scheduled to testify in the ongoing espionage trial against his former staff member, Jian G. The proceedings are taking place before the State Protection Senate of the Higher Regional Court in Dresden.
Jian G. faces charges of espionage on behalf of the People’s Republic of China, alleged to have spanned several years. He stands accused of acting as a secret agent for foreign intelligence services in a particularly serious case.
Beyond internal documents reportedly originating from the European Parliament, prosecutors allege that Jian G. also collated information pertaining to leading figures within the AfD. According to a report in “Der Spiegel”, investigators secured three dossiers written in Chinese. These documents purportedly contain detailed accounts of internal power struggles within the AfD, alleged ambitions of Co-Party Leader Tino Chrupalla and private information concerning AfD parliamentary group leader Alice Weidel.
When confronted with the contents of the dossiers, Krah denied exchanging party-related information with his former employee, particularly concerning Alice Weidel’s private life. He suggested the collected materials were likely “rumors and old information gathered somewhere and attributed to me”. Another AfD parliamentarian, Jan Wenzel Schmidt, did not deny having spoken with Jian G. but characterized the attributed statements as largely “fabricated.
Tino Chrupalla, Co-Party Leader of the AfD, described the passages mentioning him as a “false story” suggesting a deliberate effort, potentially “on behalf of a foreign power” to destabilize the party’s dual leadership. Alice Weidel’s office stated through a spokesperson that she has not yet been informed by authorities regarding the content of the dossiers seized from Jian G. and therefore cannot comment currently. Requests for comment from Jian G.’s legal team, according to “Der Spiegel”, have gone unanswered.
