Brussels. The offices of the European Parliament are being searched again, just before the European elections. And again there is a link with the AfD.
About a week and a half before the European elections, new searches took place at the European Parliament – this time on suspicion of Russian influence. The announcement was made by the Belgian Public Prosecutor’s Office.
The AfD’s main candidate in the European elections, Maximilian Krah, confirmed that the searches in Brussels and Strasbourg were aimed at a former employee. The man now works for Dutch MEP Marcel de Graaff, from the far-right Forum for Democracy party. He looked surprised.
Krah wrote in Krah’s Office Information that he worked for the AfD MEP until two years ago.
The Belgian Public Prosecutor’s Office had previously announced that the home and offices of a European Parliament official in Brussels and Strasbourg had been searched in connection with suspected Russian influence. The searches were carried out as part of a case of influence peddling, passive bribery and membership of a criminal organization, he said.
The Public Prosecutor’s Office further stated that there are indications that the parliamentary official played an important role in the case surrounding the pro-Russian Internet platform “Voice of Europe” (VoE). There is evidence of Russian influence, according to which members of the European Parliament were approached and paid to promote Russian propaganda through the “Voice of Europe” website.
Interviews with AfD politicians appeared in “Voice of Europe”.
The Prague-based “Voice of Europe” has long been suspected of spreading pro-Russian propaganda in the EU and paying money to European politicians. In mid-May, the platform was banned from broadcasting in the EU.
Among other things, interviews with Krah and Petr Bystron – number 2 on the AfD list for the European elections – appeared on the portal. The Czech newspaper “Denik N” reported in early April that money may have flown in the Bystron case. The AfD member of the Bundestag rejected this several times. Krah also denies having accepted money from the “Voice of Europe” environment.
Dutch MEP surprised by polls
Dutch MEP Marcel de Graaff was surprised by the searches of his employee at the European Parliament. He learned about the searches of his employees’ apartment and offices through the media, he wrote in The authorities did not contact me or him. All of this is a total surprise to me”, continued the non-attached deputy.
De Graaff vehemently denied involvement in “a so-called Russian disinformation operation.” “I have my own political beliefs and I proclaim them. That’s my job as an MEP,” he wrote. “As far as I can judge, this action by the authorities seems to be directed mainly against the AfD, out of fear of a good electoral result. In next week’s European elections, citizens of the 27 EU states will elect a new candidate.” Houses of the EU Parliament.
De Graaff, 62, initially served in the European Parliament from 2011 to 2022 for the radical-right Party for Freedom (PVV) of Dutch right-wing populist Geert Wilders. In 2022, he switched to the far-right Forum for Democracy party.
European Parliament supports law enforcement authorities
The European Parliament’s spokesperson service said it could not comment on ongoing investigations. Parliament generally cooperates fully with law enforcement and judicial authorities to support the administration of justice and will continue to do so.
The offices of Krah and his former colleague Jian Guo at the European Parliament were also searched in early May – they were spying for China. Krah’s employee had previously been arrested and taken into custody on suspicion of spying for China.
This is not the only reason why Krah and the AfD are under pressure: last week, the ID faction in the European Parliament expelled all nine AfD MEPs with immediate effect. The decision referred, among other things, to a “series of incidents in which Mr. Maximilian Krah and therefore also the German delegation of the group were involved”. This would have damaged the group’s reputation.
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Previously, Krah’s controversial statements about the SS caused harsh criticism. The AfD’s federal executive board banned Krah from attending. He himself declared that he would renounce further appearances in the election campaign and would resign as a member of the Federal Executive Council.
© dpa-infocom, dpa:240529-99-205938/2 (dpa)