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BERLIN — A former aide to a member of the European Parliament from the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) was convicted Tuesday by a German court on charges that he spied for China.
The former aide, Jian Guo, a German citizen, was sentenced to four years and nine months in prison by Dresden's Higher Regional Court, which found that he had engaged in espionage. Guo denied all charges against him, while his lawyer demanded an acquittal citing insufficient evidence.
"I did not work for a Chinese intelligence service, and I am innocent," Guo told the court last week.
Guo worked as an aide to Maximilian Krah, then a member of the European Parliament for AfD, between 2019 and 2024. Krah left the European Parliament in March 2025 to become a member of the Bundestag, the lower house in Germany's parliament.
Guo, whose arrest in Dresden in April last year came amid mounting concern in Europe over Chinese espionage activity, was accused of passing on information about negotiations and decisions in the European Parliament to Chinese intelligence services.
He also gathered information on leading AfD politicians and spied on Chinese opposition figures and dissidents in Germany, prosecutors said.
At the time of Guo's arrest, then Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said the spying allegations were "extremely serious."
"If it is confirmed that there was spying for Chinese intelligence from inside the European Parliament, then that is an attack from inside on European democracy," Faeser said.
China's Foreign Ministry dismissed the arrest as an attempt to "smear and suppress China and undermine cooperation with Europe."
An alleged accomplice of Guo, who was identified only as Yaqi X., received a suspended 21-month sentence Tuesday. According to prosecutors, Yaqi X. repeatedly provided Guo with information about flights, cargo and passengers while working at a logistics company at Leipzig/Halle Airport.
"The information particularly concerned the transport of military equipment and individuals with connections to a German arms company," prosecutors said.
Yaqi X. admitted sharing cargo and flight data but denied spying.
Krah, a divisive member within the anti-migrant AfD, is under investigation over allegations of bribery and money laundering in connection with Chinese payments. Earlier this month, the Bundestag lifted his immunity as a lawmaker, clearing the way for his potential prosecution.
In testimony during Guo's trial, Krah said had no knowledge of his former employee's spying activities and only learned of the allegations through the media. Following Tuesday's sentencing, Krah said he was not surprised by the verdict.
"Immediately after the arrest, I took the necessary action and significantly increased security in my office," he told German news agency, DPA.