Former German political scientist charged with espionage for China

BERLIN, July 6 (Reuters) – A retired German political scientist has been accused of spying for China for nearly a decade, exploiting political contacts he made while working for a think tank, German federal prosecutors said on Tuesday .

It said the man, identified as Klaus L. according to German reporting custom, was recruited during a speaking tour to Shanghai in 2010, nearly ten years after he joined the think tank, and had regularly shared information through November 2019 in return for money and travel to China.

The public broadcaster ARD said Klaus L. also worked as a spy for the German foreign intelligence service BND for half a century before retiring.

ARD quoted unnamed sources as saying that he initially informed the BND about the recruitment attempt, but did not inform them of subsequent contacts.

ARD also said Klaus L. worked for the Munich Hanns Seidel Foundation, which is close to the Christian Social Union (CSU), the Bavarian sister party of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s CDU.

The foundation said it has been working with authorities since June last year.

“Possible misconduct through intelligence activities is absolutely unacceptable to us,” said a spokesman for the think tank, adding that Klaus L. retired a decade ago and has had no contact with the foundation since.

The BND was initially unavailable for comment.

Klaus L. should appear before a Munich court on Tuesday.

Reporting by Riham Alkousaa; Edited by Kevin Liffey

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