German politician ‘filmed taking Russian money’

Petr Bystron, of the AfD, allegedly took cash from the manager of a Russian propaganda network – ODD ANDERSEN/AFP/Getty

A German politician was filmed taking large sums of cash from a Kremlin-supporting broadcaster, Czech intelligence has claimed.

Petr Bystron, who is standing for Alternative for Germany (AfD) at European parliamentary elections in June, allegedly received €20,000 (£17,000) in cash from the manager of a Russian propaganda network while sitting in a parked car, recordings indicate.

Mr Bystron, who also sits on the Bundestag’s foreign affairs committee, has previously denied allegations of taking Russian money as a “defamation campaign”.

The Security Information Service (BIS), the Czech Republic’s domestic intelligence agency, now says Mr Bystron met with Artem Marchevsky, who allegedly managed a Kremlin-backed propaganda front called Voice of Europe, at least three times in the past six months.

It said it had filmed him receiving packets of “unidentifiable objects” twice while being driven around with Mr Marchevsky.

A Czech MP who heard the recordings said Mr Bystron can later be heard “rustling and counting cash” while sitting in a parked car in Prague. The money was allegedly intended to fund new employees in the European Parliament.

The Czech government last month took down Voice of Europe’s website and imposed a travel ban and an assets freeze on its owner, the exiled Ukrainian oligarch Viktor Medvedchuk, after a BIS investigation concluded it was being used as a front to pay pro-Russian politicians to peddle Kremlin propaganda.

It also sanctioned Mr Marchevsky, a close associate of Mr Medvedchuk, who it described as running the day-to-day affairs of the organisation.

Mr Medvedchuk is godfather to one of Putin’s daughters. He was arrested in Ukraine soon after the Russian invasion and later exchanged for Ukrainian prisoners of war. He is currently believed to be in Russia.

Reuters said they “were not able to reach Medvedchuk or Marchevskyi for comment on the sanctions”.

BIS has said it thinks the operation handed out at least half a million euros to pro-Russian politicians across Europe. Their investigation has triggered police raids in the Czech Republic, Poland and other European countries.

The Munich Public Prosecutor’s Office has started preliminary investigations against Mr Bystron for possible bribery of elected officials.

Petr Fiala, the Czech prime minister, warned that the aim was to help pro-Russian politicians into the European Parliament.

Mr Bystron told Germany’s DPA news agency: “This is just an attempt to keep the campaign against the AfD in the media until the EU elections.”

The FBI in March questioned Maximilian Krah, the leader of AfD’s faction in the European Parliament, over suspicions of taking money from Kremlin agents, Der Spiegel reported last week. Mr Krah confirmed he had been interviewed but denied being financed by Russia.

Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla, the AfD’s joint leaders, said ‘the board must assume the innocence of Mr Bystron’ – Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla, the AfD’s joint leaders, called on Czech intelligence to make their evidence accessible and said that “at the current point, the board must assume the innocence of Mr Bystron”.

The leadership had previously called on Mr Bystron to explain himself to them in private meetings.

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