BERLIN (AFP) — Investigators searched the Brussels office of German politician Maximilian Krah on Tuesday as part of a probe into his aide, who is suspected of spying for China, German prosecutors said.
Krah's offices at the European Parliament, where the suspect named as Jian G. worked, was searched "on the basis of orders issued by the investigating judge of the Federal Court of Justice and a European Investigation Order," the prosecutors said.
Jian G. was arrested in April on suspicion of sharing European Parliament information with a Chinese intelligence service and of spying on Chinese opposition figures in Germany.
The European Union assembly lists Jian Guo as an accredited assistant to Krah, the lead candidate for Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany, or AfD, in the forthcoming EU-wide elections for the parliament.
Guo is a German national who had reportedly worked as an aide to Krah in Brussels since 2019.
He was suspended from his position when the charges came to light.
Krah confirmed on X, formerly Twitter, that Guo's office had been searched.
"This was to be expected after his arrest and is therefore not at all surprising. The only remarkable thing is that they took so long to do it," he wrote.
Krah wrote on X earlier that prosecutors had confirmed to his lawyer that he was "not a suspect in the investigation."
The charges involving China are among a series of controversies to hit Germany's AfD in recent months, including claims that some of its members have links to Russia.
German prosecutors said in April they had launched a preliminary probe into Krah over reports that he had received suspicious payments from Russia and China.
The 47-year-old has vowed to continue as the AfD's top European Parliament candidate in spite of the scandal.
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By Agence France-Presse
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