Key facts
- Greece's parliament voted to lift the immunity of former European Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos.
- Belgian authorities issued a European arrest warrant for Avramopoulos in June.
- Avramopoulos is accused of membership in a criminal organization, bribery of an official, and money laundering.
- The Qatargate scandal involves allegations of EU officials accepting bribes from Qatar.
- Avramopoulos denies any connection to illegal acts under investigation.
- Avramopoulos stated he will appear before Belgian authorities once a date is set.
Greece's parliament voted unanimously on Thursday to lift the immunity of Dimitris Avramopoulos, a former European Commissioner and current lawmaker, in connection with the Qatargate corruption scandal. Belgian authorities had issued a European arrest warrant for the 73-year-old in June, accusing him of membership in a criminal organization, bribery of an official, and money laundering, alleging a financial benefit totaling approximately €73,000.
Avramopoulos, who served as European Commissioner for Migration from 2014 to 2019, has denied any wrongdoing or connection to the illegal acts under investigation. His legal note to MPs, dated September 17, stated he questioned the legal basis of the arrest warrant and called for his immunity to be lifted to facilitate the investigation. He told POLITICO he would appear before Belgian authorities once a date is set and regretted not testifying when first summoned about a year ago.
The Qatargate scandal, which broke in December 2022, centers on allegations that suspects linked to the European Parliament accepted money or gifts in exchange for doing Qatar's bidding. Belgian police seized approximately €1.5 million in cash during raids in Brussels. Pier Antonio Panzeri, a former MEP and founder of Fight Impunity, a non-governmental organization where Avramopoulos was an honorary board member, has admitted guilt and struck a plea deal. Former MEP Eva Kaili and her husband, Francesco Giorgi, were also arrested and have since been released pending trial.