Latest news with #Geldwäsche
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Far-right German lawmaker Krah investigated over China bribery claims
German prosecutors on Friday opened an investigation into far-right lawmaker Maximilian Krah in connection with bribery by China and money laundering. Krah is a member of the German lower house of parliament, or Bundestag, where his party, the Alternative for Germany (AfD), is the second-biggest force. The allegations relate to his previous mandate as a member of the European Parliament. A preliminary investigation in connection with alleged Russian payments linked to Krah is still pending, the Dresden prosecutors' office said. The aim of the China-related investigation is to determine whether there is "sufficient cause to bring charges or whether the proceedings should be discontinued," the prosecutors said. Prosecutors have asked for his immunity from prosecution to be lifted. Krah wrote on X that the accusations were "absurd and politically motivated." In essence, he argued, the issue was about the fact that he had invoiced clients as a lawyer. "Of course I have not committed any criminal offence. This is purely about defamation of character," he wrote.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Germany shutters major crypto exchange, seizes €34 million in assets
German police on Friday said they had shut down a major online platform for cryptocurrency exchanges, seizing €34 million ($38 million) in assets. The eXch platform was taken down in late April, according to a statement from the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) and the Frankfurt prosecutor's office. Authorities confiscated €34 million in cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Ether, Litecoin and Dash, representing the third-largest seizure of crypto assets in the BKA's history. The platform had been operational since 2014, allowing users to exchange cryptocurrencies. Users were not required to identify themselves, with the platform explicitly advertising itself as not implementing measures against money laundering. An estimated $1.9 billion had been exchanged on the platform, which was accessible on both the regular internet and the dark net. The platform's operators are suspected of having facilitated money laundering and running a criminal trading platform. The operators had announced they would shut down the service on May 1, but authorities intervened to close the platform on April 30, enabling them to secure more than 8 terabytes of data.
