BERLIN – Germany’s parliament on Thursday unanimously voted to lift the immunity of former far-right MEP Maximilian Krah, who is under investigation for money laundering and accepting bribes during his time in Brussels.
Now a German MP, Krah has been under investigation since May when prosecutors requested the German parliament to lift his immunity, which would allow them to carry out searches and seize documents.
German MPs, including Krah’s own Alternative for Germany party, unanimously voted in favour on Thursday morning, with German media reporting that a search of his parliamentary office was underway.
Krah, who denies all allegations, called the lifting of his immunity the “logical consequence of the investigations.” He dismissed the charges as “absurd, fabricated and purely politically motivated” and planned searches as “intimidation”.
The German lawmaker previously said that the accusations are centred around him receiving alleged bribes from companies linked to China and his former aide, Jian G.
G was arrested shortly before the European elections last year and currently stands trial on charges of spying for China. Prosecutors allege that G collected some 500 sensitive parliamentary documents in Brussels between 2019 and 2024 while working for Krah, who testified last week.
Euractiv has reached out to Krah for comment.
(vib)
