Former German intelligence chief August Hanning, arrested on suspicion of espionage, maintained longstanding contacts with a former senior Chinese military official, German magazine Der Spiegel has reported.
Hanning, who left Germany’s foreign intelligence service in 2005, reportedly travelled to China several times and knew Wang Jianzheng, a former major general with expertise in German affairs who translated several German books into Chinese.
Hanning was detained this week over allegations that he shared confidential information supplied by his former chief of staff with foreign intelligence agents. The suspected activities allegedly occurred after his retirement, when he worked as an independent security consultant.
Prosecutors have not disclosed what information was allegedly shared or identified the intended recipients.
Hanning’s lawyer denied that his client had harmed German interests, describing the prosecution as wrongful, according to Der Spiegel.
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