Trial concerning ex-AfD politician spied upon: Krah under scrutiny
Trial Begins for Former AfD Employee Accused of Spying for China
The trial of Jian G., a former assistant to AfD politician Maximilian Krah in the European Parliament, began on August 5, 2025, in Dresden, Germany. Jian G. faces charges of espionage for China, dating back to 2002.
Prosecutors allege that Jian G. passed over 500 classified and sensitive European Parliament documents, collected personal data on AfD leadership including Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla, and spied on Chinese opposition figures and dissidents in Germany. A second defendant, Yaqi X., is accused of helping Jian G. by providing flight, cargo, and passenger information from Leipzig Airport related to military and arms industry shipments.
The trial is being held at the Higher Regional Court in Dresden, with 13 hearing dates scheduled through September 2025.
Jian G.'s defense denies the accusations, claiming no sensitive information was shared, and portrays him as a committed employee focused mainly on foreign trade issues. Maximilian Krah, now a member of the German Bundestag, denies any knowledge of the alleged espionage activities by his former assistant.
Yaqi X., the co-defendant, admits to passing on information to Jian G. due to his work in the European Parliament and with the AfD. However, Yaqi X. claims to have no interest in politics, despite being a member of the Communist Party of China. Yaqi X. also claims to have only learned about Jian G.'s alleged espionage activities through media reports of his arrest.
Jian G.'s lawyer states that his client's activities were not aimed at passing on information and he never agreed to do so. The indictment by the Federal Prosecutor General alleges that Jian G. was an employee of a Chinese intelligence service since 2002. From September 2019 until his arrest in April 2024, Jian G. is accused of collecting information and passing on partly confidential documents to Chinese authorities while working in Krah's office.
The defendant, while working as an assistant in Krah's office, was primarily concerned with the topic of foreign trade and had conversations with China-related contacts. Jian G. showed a particular interest in military-related information, according to Yaqi X.'s statements.
The trial against Jian G. and Yaqi X. is scheduled to have 13 trial dates until the end of September. Jian G.'s defense lawyer has applied to have evidence obtained from the surveillance of his client not used in the trial, expressing doubts about its legality.
Jian G. met Yaqi X. after coming to Germany to study in 2015, through the Chinese app WeChat. No information was provided about any allegations against Yaqi X. regarding passing on information or spying activities.
[1] AfD employee on trial for spying for China [2] Former AfD assistant on trial for espionage in Germany [3] German court hears spy case against former AfD aide [4] Former AfD staffer on trial for spying for China [5] German court opens trial of former AfD aide on spying charges
[1] The trial of a former AfD employee, Jian G., began for allegedly spying for China and passing sensitive information to Chinese authorities. [2] Concurrent with the politics and general news, crime-and-justice headlines feature the trial of Jian G., former AfD assistant, accused of espionage and passing classified European Parliament documents to Chinese intelligence.
