Trial over espionage allegations against ex-AfD politician Krah
The trial against Jian G., a former assistant to AfD MEP Maximilian Krah, began on August 5, 2025, at the Higher Regional Court in Dresden. The trial is expected to continue through the end of September, with multiple hearing days scheduled [1][2][3][4][5].
Jian G., who worked for Krah in the European Parliament from 2019 to 2024, is accused of passing over 500 sensitive documents and confidential information to China’s intelligence agency. Prosecutors allege he also collected personal data on AfD leadership and spied on Chinese opposition and dissidents in Germany. He denies these charges, maintaining that his primary tasks involved foreign trade and relations with China [1][2][3][4].
A second defendant, a Chinese national named Jaqi X., is accused of assisting Jian G. by providing data on flights, cargo, and passengers at Leipzig Airport, including transport details of military equipment. Jaqi X. works for a logistics service company at Leipzig Airport [1].
The relationship between Jian G. and Jaqi X. started via the Chinese app WeChat in 2015, when Jaqi X. came to Germany to study. Jaqi X. claims to have no interest in politics and is a member of the Communist Party of China [6].
Jian G.'s activities raised suspicions for Jaqi X. after he kept pressing for a charter flight's passenger list transporting military vehicles from Rheinmetall [7]. From September 2019 until his arrest in April 2024, Jian G. is alleged to have collected information and passed on partly confidential documents to Chinese authorities [8].
Jaqi X. only learned about Jian G.'s suspected espionage activities from media reports of his arrest [9]. Maximilian Krah himself is under separate investigation unrelated to the espionage trial but remains in the German Bundestag [3].
If found guilty, Jian G. faces up to 10 years in prison, while Jaqi X. faces up to five years [1]. The judges have rejected the application to exclude evidence, and the trial proceedings continue, with no verdict announced yet.
References: [1] https://www.welt.de/politik/deutschland/plus49-161633197/AfD-Mitarbeiter-Jian-G-geht-vor-Gericht-Frau-Jaqi-X-steht-als-Ko-Angeklagte-da.html [2] https://www.tagesschau.de/inland/afd-mitarbeiter-geht-vor-gericht-101.html [3] https://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/afd-mitarbeiter-geht-vor-gericht-nach-verdacht-der-spionage-a-38102504.html [4] https://www.n-tv.de/politik/AfD-Mitarbeiter-Jian-G-geht-vor-Gericht-Frau-Jaqi-X-steht-als-Ko-Angeklagte-da-article27245863.html [5] https://www.t-online.de/nachrichten/politik/id_83969102/afd-mitarbeiter-geht-vor-gericht-nach-verdacht-der-spionage.html [6] https://www.welt.de/politik/deutschland/plus49-161633197/AfD-Mitarbeiter-Jian-G-geht-vor-Gericht-Frau-Jaqi-X-steht-als-Ko-Angeklagte-da.html [7] https://www.tagesschau.de/inland/afd-mitarbeiter-geht-vor-gericht-101.html [8] https://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/afd-mitarbeiter-geht-vor-gericht-nach-verdacht-der-spionage-a-38102504.html [9] https://www.n-tv.de/politik/AfD-Mitarbeiter-Jian-G-geht-vor-Gericht-Frau-Jaqi-X-steht-als-Ko-Angeklagte-da-article27245863.html
In the context of the ongoing trial against Jian G., a former assistant to Maximilian Krah, reports of war-and-conflicts, politics, general-news, and crime-and-justice have been circulating, as he is accused of passing sensitive documents to China's intelligence agency and spying on political opponents. Jaqi X., a Chinese national and colleague of Jian G., is also involved in the case, accused of providing data related to flights, cargo, and passengers at Leipzig Airport. Their alleged activities could have significant implications for politics and national security.
