Munich (dpa) – The Munich Higher Regional Court (OLG) has sentenced a couple to suspended sentences for espionage for a Chinese secret service. The man got two years and his partner a year and a half on probation, an OLG spokesman reported on Friday. The “Spiegel” had previously reported on the verdict, which had already been handed down in December. The conviction is now final.
Almost a year ago, the federal prosecutor’s office in Karlsruhe brought charges against the 75-year-old. The former employee of the Hanns Seidel Foundation, which is close to the CSU, is said to have provided the Chinese secret service with information for almost a decade. The political scientist got the material from his many high-ranking political contacts with whom he dealt professionally.
According to the indictment, he was recruited during a speaking tour to Shanghai in 2010. After that, the man was paid for his trips to meetings with Chinese intelligence officials “including a supporting program” in return. He also received an honorarium. The Higher Regional Court therefore also collected 60,000 euros from the couple. This is intended to skim off the financial benefits that the accused had achieved.
© dpa-infocom, dpa:220429-99-98406/2
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