The German Parliament lifted the parliamentary immunity of far-right AfD politician Maximilian Krah (48) on Thursday. He is under investigation for bribery by China and money laundering.
Investigators have already raided Krah's offices in the Bundestag building in Berlin and his offices and private residence in Dresden. Belgian investigators also searched Krah's offices in Brussels, where he was an MEP from 2019 to March 2025.
Krah has already reacted indignantly to the accusations and the lifting of his immunity. "The accusations are absurd and purely politically motivated. The search of my office is an attempt at intimidation," he wrote on social media on Thursday.
He is also under preliminary investigation into suspected Russian payments.
The purpose of the investigation into China is to determine whether there are "sufficient grounds to file charges or whether the proceedings should be discontinued," said the Public Prosecutor's Office, which had previously requested that his immunity be lifted.
Krah is a highly controversial figure, even within his own party. He was the AfD's leading candidate in last year's European parliamentary elections, but his campaign was overshadowed by scandals.
Earlier this month, he testified in separate proceedings concerning a former employee of his, who is accused of spying for Chinese intelligence.
