Former aide to far-right German politician jailed for spying for China

Jian Guo had worked in Brussels for five years for Maximilian Krah, while he was a member of the European Parliament.

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Jian Guo had worked in Brussels for Maximilian Krah, a member of the European Parliament for five years until last year. Krah is now an MP in the German parliament.

The court in Dresden in eastern Germany had heard how Krah's former aide had gathered information and passed on confidential documents to Chinese authorities.

Jian Guo had maintained his innocence, insisting he had not worked for Chinese intelligence, and Krah told the court last month he had only learned about allegations against his ex-employee from the media.

The defendant, a German national, was accused by prosecutors of working for Chinese intelligence since 2002, in a case that fuelled concerns about China's spy activities in the European Union.