Arrest warrant issued for ex-EU Commissioner Avramopoulos in 'Qatargate' scandal

Belgian authorities have issued a European arrest warrant for Dimitris Avramopoulos, the former European Commissioner for Migration, as part of the ongoing "Qatargate" corruption investigation. The warrant alleges his involvement in a criminal organization and links him to payments received from a non-governmental organization implicated in the scandal.

The "Qatargate" scandal, which erupted in December 2022, involves allegations that individuals connected to the European Parliament accepted bribes from Qatar in exchange for political influence. Belgian police raids in Brussels uncovered large sums of cash and led to the arrest of several key figures, including former MEP Pier Antonio Panzeri, ex-MEP Eva Kaili, and her partner Francesco Giorgi.

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The former commissioner is accused of participating in a criminal organization, and authorities link the case to income he received from a non-governmental organization that is at the center of the scandal.

Avramopoulos, who served as Commissioner for Migration from 2014 to 2019, was an honorary board member of the "Fight Impunity" NGO, founded by Panzeri. He resigned from this position when the scandal broke, stating that the NGO had paid him €73,000 between February 2021 and February 2022. Belgian authorities had previously requested Avramopoulos to testify nearly a year ago, but he did not appear.

For the arrest warrant to be executed, the Greek parliament must vote to lift Avramopoulos's immunity. Despite the charges, Avramopoulos has declared that he will not claim parliamentary immunity. He stated his intention to personally approach the Greek judicial system to demand a full investigation and a verdict, asserting that the accusations are "completely unfounded."

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Although this is a completely unfounded accusation, I unequivocally state that I will not invoke any parliamentary immunity. On the contrary, I will personally approach the Greek judicial system, demand that the matter be fully investigated, and a verdict be reached.