The Greek parliament has lifted the immunity of former European Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos, facilitating an investigation into the "Qatargate" corruption scandal, one of the most significant scandals to affect the European Union.
Avramopoulos, a former mayor of Athens and currently a lawmaker with the ruling New Democracy party, has consistently denied any involvement or connection to the case, which accuses several EU officials of accepting bribes from Qatar. Qatar has also refuted all allegations of wrongdoing.
A Belgian investigating judge issued a European arrest warrant for Avramopoulos in June, alleging his participation in a criminal organization, public corruption, and money laundering, according to a government document reviewed by Reuters. Until Thursday's parliamentary vote, Avramopoulos, 73, was protected from arrest and prosecution by his legislative immunity.
Greek media reported on Thursday that Avramopoulos intends to present himself voluntarily to Belgian authorities. The Belgian prosecutor's office has not yet responded to a request for comment. Belgian authorities have stated that approximately €1.5 million (approximately $1.72 million) in cash has been seized during raids related to the Qatargate investigation, which surfaced in 2022. Some of the funds were reportedly discovered in a suitcase at a Brussels hotel.
Investigators contend that Qatar allegedly paid cash or utilized non-profit organizations to influence EU policymaking, claims that Doha has denied. Avramopoulos served as the European Commissioner for Migration and Home Affairs from 2014 to 2019. From 2020 to 2021, he held an honorary board position at Fight Impunity, an NGO connected to the ongoing investigation, as indicated in the Greek government document.
In June, following the issuance of the arrest warrant, Avramopoulos issued a statement asserting that his engagement with Fight Impunity was "lawful, audited, approved," and described any association of his name with the case by Belgian authorities as "arbitrary, unacceptable, suspicious."
