A former employee of German parliamentarian Maximilian Krah has been sentenced to four years and nine months in prison for espionage on behalf of China, according to a ruling issued Tuesday by the Dresden Regional Court.
The court found the intelligence activities of the defendant, identified as Jian G., to be proven as a particularly serious case. During his time working in Krah’s former parliamentary office within the European Parliament, between 2019 and 2024, G. is alleged to have gathered information and passed on partially confidential documents to Chinese entities. He also reportedly compiled personal details concerning AfD leadership and monitored Chinese dissidents.
Throughout the proceedings, G. maintained his innocence, denying any involvement with a Chinese intelligence service. His legal counsel argued for a full acquittal based on insufficient evidence, while the federal prosecutor had requested a prison sentence of seven and a half years.
A co-defendant, also facing charges, received a suspended sentence of one year and nine months. The woman, who worked for a logistics company at Halle/Leipzig Airport, admitted to transferring data but denied knowledge of its use in espionage activities.
Separate investigations remain ongoing by the Dresden Public Prosecutor’s Office concerning parliamentarian Krah, focusing on allegations of bribery and money laundering linked to payments originating from China. Krah has denied any awareness of his former employee’s alleged intelligence work.
