Krah, 48, of the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, rejected the allegations of money-laundering and bribery as "absurd, fabricated and purely politically motivated".

In a message on X, he called the search of his offices "an attempt at intimidation".

Krah is a former Member of the European Parliament (MEP) and, since German general elections in February, a lawmaker in the Bundestag lower house.

In April 2024, a former aide to Krah in the European Parliament was arrested in Brussels on suspicion of spying for China.

Prosecutors allege that Jian Guo, a German national, worked for Chinese intelligence from 2002, including while working in Krah's Brussels office.

Giving evidence during the trial last week, Krah denied having any knowledge of his aide's alleged espionage.

However, the Dresden Public Prosecutor's Office earlier this year initiated an investigation against Krah and requested the lifting of his immunity.

It said on Thursday it had been investigating the German MP "on charges of accepting bribery as a representative of the European Parliament and money laundering in connection with payments from China".

News weekly Der Spiegel has reported, citing the investigation file, that the AfD politician had allegedly received more than 50,000 euros from companies close to Guo between 2019 and 2022 alone.

On Thursday, the German parliament lifted Krah's immunity and said in a statement that it had "approved the execution of court search and seizure orders" against Krah.

Police then searched his offices in Berlin, Dresden and Brussels, said Der Spiegel.

AfD leaders Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla said "the lifting of his immunity and, in particular, the search of Mr Krah's office and private premises are serious matters".

"As the AfD parliamentary group, we therefore expect a swift conclusion to the investigation and the publication of the results."

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