"Qatargate" reaches Athens as Avramopoulos loses immunity

The Greek parliament on September 17 voted to lift the parliamentary immunity of former European Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos, clearing the way for Belgian authorities to continue their actions in the investigation into the affair known as Qatargate.

The former EU Commissioner denies any wrongdoing and says he wants to cooperate fully with the authorities, Euronews writes. 

Of the 266 MPs present, 264 voted in favour of lifting his immunity, while two declared themselves "present". The parliament's Ethics Committee had earlier unanimously recommended the move. The procedure followed the issuing of a European arrest warrant by a Belgian investigating judge in June.

The 73-year-old Dimitris Avramopoulos, an MP for the ruling New Democracy party, served as European Commissioner for Migration from 2014 to 2019 and previously as mayor of Athens. He has categorically denied any illegal activity.

He had himself requested the lifting of his immunity, stating in a memorandum to parliament that he wished to cooperate fully with the competent authorities.

The Belgian investigation concerns, among other things, Dimitris Avramopoulos's links with the non-governmental organisation Fight Impunity, founded by former Italian MEP Antonio Panzeri, one of the central figures in the Qatargate case.

He has maintained that his cooperation with Fight Impunity was entirely lawful and that the related fees were declared to the tax authorities.

The European arrest warrant relates to allegations of participation in a criminal organisation, public corruption and the laundering of proceeds from illegal activities, according to a document from the Greek authorities cited by international news agencies.

The charges remain the subject of the Belgian investigation.

The probe began in December 2022, when Belgian authorities carried out a series of searches and arrests over allegations that foreign governments sought to influence decisions in the European Parliament through money and gifts.