Maximilian Krah, AfD's leading candidate for the European elections, was questioned by the FBI about possible pro-Russian payments. The authorities are pursuing a suspicion.
Berlin - According to a report, the AfD's leading candidate for the European elections, Maximilian Krah, was questioned by the US Federal Police FBI about possible payments from pro-Russian patrons. The interrogation took place in December 2023 in the USA before Krah's return to Germany after an event of the young Republicans in New York, Spiegel reported,
citing
joint information with the
ZDF
program “Frontal”. When asked by the
German Press Agency,
Krah said: “I was questioned as a witness about my contacts in Ukraine, yes. I provided information accordingly.”
Krah is said to have received “compensation” – AfD leading candidate protests his innocence
According to research by Spiegel
and the
ZDF
broadcast , the US investigators are said to
have provided Krah with, among other things, a chat message in which a pro-Russian activist assured his acquaintance Krah that the problem with “compensation” for Krah’s “technical expenses” had been solved . From May onwards “it will be as it was before February”. The wording suggested that Krah could have been paid covertly for a long time, it said. The authorities now investigated.
Krah also said that he had never hidden his contacts with the pro-Russian activist and that they could be found, among other things, on his Instagram account. “The allegations are absurd and fabricated,” said Krah. Der
Spiegel
quoted Krah as saying that he never received any money from the activist, “no payments, benefits or other compensation.” The activist may have wanted to pay him back money for an opera ball ticket. Or the chat message that mentioned “compensations” must have been intended for another recipient.
Russian influence and bribes: AfD politician Krah under suspicion
Krah's name is currently also appearing in connection with the pro-Russian internet platform “Voice of Europe” (VoE). At the end of March, the Czech Republic placed VoE on the national sanctions list following intelligence investigations. The website is part of a Russian influence operation aimed at questioning Ukraine's territorial integrity, sovereignty and freedom, it said.
Interviews with the AfD politician Petr Bystron and Krah appeared on the portal, among others. The Czech newspaper
Denik N
had reported that Bystron may also have accepted money. The AfD MP has rejected this several times. According to
Spiegel
, Krah also denies
having accepted money from the “Voice of Europe” environment.
The European elections will take place from June 6th to 9th. The more than 700 members of the European Parliament are elected. Parliament is closely involved in European legislation and also has a say in the composition of the next EU Commission.
(nak/dpa)