The suspect, Klaus L. On Monday, he is in pretrial detention.
The academic is alleged to have provided Chinese services with information “mainly obtained through his numerous high-level political contacts”, linked to the “think tank” he runs, the German prosecutor identified in a press release.
The suspect was arrested following an arrest warrant issued by the Munich court on June 21.
The professor, who was able to give his research center “international importance” thanks to his “scientific reputation and networks he has built over the years”, would have been approached by Chinese services during a trip to Shanghai, in June 2010.
The prosecutor in charge of international espionage cases described: “People from Chinese intelligence contacted the suspect to encourage him to cooperate.”
“In the following years and up to November 2019, the suspect regularly provided information to Chinese intelligence services, before or after official visits or multinational conferences, as well as on various current cases,” the prosecution said in the indictment.
“In return, the suspect was funded to attend meetings with Chinese intelligence officials” and “received a fee,” according to German justice.
“Hardcore alcohol maven. Hipster-friendly analyst. Introvert. Devoted social media advocate.”
