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Maximilian Krah

Maximilian Krah

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AfD Bundestag member and 2024 EU lead candidate. His former aide was jailed for spying for China, and prosecutors are investigating Krah himself over Chinese payments.

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Editorial assessment

Context, not the score.

Cui bono: The first-instance conviction of Krah’s former aide Jian G. for China espionage (Dresden, 30 Sep 2025, 4y9m, under appeal/non-final) and probes into alleged China-linked payments create persistent network-risk questions—even though Krah himself has not been charged or convicted in the espionage case. Bundestag lifted immunity in September 2025 for the payments inquiry; he denies the allegations. Benefit to Chinese interests is an assessment of exposure, not a proven transaction.

Evidence level: Hypothesis. Sources: DW (opens in a new tab); BBC (opens in a new tab); tagesschau (opens in a new tab); Bundestag (opens in a new tab).

Evidence & methodology

How the record is sourced and how the score is derived.

The score is formula-derived (Factrail formula v1, version 1.0.0), not an editorial verdict. Read the methodology.

By the · Method: how we source and score · Last reviewed

Expert analysis

An excerpt; the full analysis opens on request.

Maximilian Krah was born on 28 January 1977 in Räckelwitz and is a lawyer. He was an MEP from 2019 to March 2025 and then entered the Bundestag for Chemnitzer Umland – Erzgebirgskreis II. In May 2024 the Identity and Democracy group expelled the AfD after his aide's arrest and his remarks about the Nazi era (Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)). He was the AfD's lead candidate for the 2024 European election (tagesschau (opens in a new tab)). On 30 September 2025 the Dresden Higher Regional Court convicted his former aide Jian Guo of spying for China. Guo had collected information on party leadership figures while working for Krah in 2019–2024 and passed partly confidential documents to Chinese authorities (DW (opens in a new tab)). He was sentenced to four years and nine months (BBC (opens in a new tab)). Dresden prosecutors opened a bribery and money-laundering investigation into Krah over Chinese payments in May 2025. The Bundestag lifted his immunity in September 2025 (Bundestag (opens in a new tab)), and further searches followed. Krah rejects the accusations as "politically motivated" (tagesschau (opens in a new tab)). He has not been charged or convicted. Hypothesis (labeled): that Chinese money bought influence through Krah's office. It would be confirmed by an indictment or a court finding in the Dresden probe.

Questions people ask

Was Maximilian Krah's aide convicted of spying?

Yes. Jian Guo was convicted in Dresden on 30 September 2025 of espionage for China (DW (opens in a new tab)).

Is Krah himself under investigation?

Yes. Dresden prosecutors are investigating him for bribery and money laundering linked to Chinese payments, and he denies wrongdoing (tagesschau (opens in a new tab)).

Why was the AfD expelled from the ID group?

The Identity and Democracy group expelled the AfD in May 2024 after the aide's arrest and Krah's remarks about the Nazi era (Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)).