Berlin, Jan 15 (IANS): The German federal prosecutor's office has ordered raids on properties across Germany and Brussels in connection to an investigation involving three suspects accused of spying for China, a spokesman told Efe on Wednesday.

The Der Spiegel weekly magazine, which first reported the case, has said the main suspect is a former official of the European Commission and former diplomat of the European External Action Service.

The researcher, who according to Der Spiegel has German nationality and held a high position in Brussels before representing the EU as an ambassador in several states, has worked in the private sector since 2017.

Together with two alleged accomplices, employees of a German public relations firm, the former diplomat is suspected of having provided personal and commercial information to the Chinese Ministry of State Security.

The alleged espionage would have occurred once the diplomat had abandoned public office from 2017 onwards, the German weekly has said.

Markus Schmitt, spokesman to the federal prosecutor, told Efe on Wednesday several homes and offices in Berlin, Bavaria (south), Baden-Württemberg (southwest), as well as in the Belgian capital Brussels had been searched.

Schmitt also said those under investigation are suspected of having acted on the orders of a "foreign secret service," specifically the Chinese, although he refused to provide more details.

According to the German press, no arrests have been made yet.