Bundestag lifts immunity of Maximilian Krah

According to a statement issued Thursday, the Bundestag has lifted the immunity of AfD MP Maximilian Krah . Parliament thus authorized the execution of court search and seizure warrants against him on charges of bribery and money laundering.

Krah was elected to the Bundestag this year. He served as a Member of the European Parliament from 2019 to 2025. The Dresden Public Prosecutor's Office initiated an investigation against him in May. The authority justified the move at the time with allegations of bribery as an MEP and money laundering in connection with alleged payments from Chinese sources.

The investigation originates with Jian G., who worked as an assistant in Krah's office in the European Parliament. The Federal Prosecutor General accuses Jian G. of collecting information and passing on some confidential documents to Chinese authorities from 2019 to 2024. He also allegedly gathered personal information about AfD leadership and spied on Chinese dissidents. According to the indictment, the German national is said to have been an employee of a Chinese intelligence agency as early as 2002. A suspected accomplice is also charged.

Krah told the Süddeutsche Zeitung in May that he was accused of representing Jian G. as a lawyer and of billing his client for this. The bills are believed to be a way to discreetly send money to Krah. Krah denies this. Krah described the allegations as "absurd and politically motivated."