According to the prosecution, the couple regularly passed information to Chinese intelligence services in the run-up to and at the end of state visits or international conferences until November 2019
The German Prosecutor General’s Office has brought charges against German and Italian national Clara L. on suspicion of cooperating with Chinese intelligence services. The charges were announced in a press release issued by the state prosecutor on Monday.
Another suspect in the case, an influential political scientist who headed a local think-tank, was reported in early July. Clara L. is in a conjugal relationship with him and supported him in his professional activities. The charges were filed as early as May 20.
According to the prosecution, the couple had been contacted by Chinese intelligence in 2010. This is alleged to have happened in Shanghai, where the political scientist was giving a presentation. “Between now and November 2019, they regularly transmitted information to Chinese intelligence agencies ahead of and following state visits or international conferences,” the prosecutor’s office said in a statement. They allegedly received this data “from high-ranking interlocutors” with whom they had established contacts precisely by working for the think tank. In return, the spouses, among other things, “received a fee”, the press release said.