Ex-EU Commissioner denies 'Catargate' role after Belgian arrest warrant

Former European Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos has vehemently denied any involvement in the alleged bribery network involving Qatar and Morocco in the European Parliament, following the issuance of an arrest warrant against him by Belgian authorities. Avramopoulos, who served as Commissioner for Interior from 2014 to 2019 and is currently a Member of the Greek Parliament for the New Democracy party, asserted his innocence in a statement.

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Never had any relationship with this case.

According to the Greek newspaper Kathimerini, Belgian justice has accused Avramopoulos of participating in a criminal organization, allegedly receiving 73,000 euros from the NGO 'Fight Impunity.' This organization was founded in 2019 by former Italian MEP Pier-Antonio Panzeri, a central figure in the scandal. Avramopoulos defended his role within the NGO, stating that his participation was "completely legal, audited, approved, declared, and taxed." He further declared that any attempt by Belgian authorities to implicate him in matters related to 'Fight Impunity' is "arbitrary, unacceptable, suspicious, and will be addressed by all legal means."

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my participation in that NGO was completely legal, audited, approved, declared, and taxed.

When the 'Catargate' scandal first broke in December 2022, Avramopoulos had previously stated he was not involved in "executive" or "management" roles within the NGO, positioning himself as one of several politicians on its Honorary Council. The Belgian judiciary has submitted the case file concerning the former commissioner to the Athens Prosecutor's Office. However, Greek authorities cannot currently arrest Avramopoulos due to his parliamentary immunity.

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Any attempt by the Belgian authorities to bring up the matter and involve my name in any issue related to Fight Impunity (...) is arbitrary, unacceptable, suspicious and will be addressed by all legal means.

In his statement, the conservative politician indicated that he would forgo using his parliamentary immunity and requested a "thorough investigation into the matter," labeling the accusations as unfounded. The 'Catargate' scandal erupted after Belgian police seized over a million euros in cash during raids in Brussels. Several individuals, including former European Parliament Vice President Eva Kaili and Panzeri, have been charged with corruption, money laundering, and belonging to a criminal organization allegedly bribed by Qatar and Morocco to promote their interests within the EU. The case remains pending trial.

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that I will not use parliamentary immunity and that I will request that the matter be thoroughly investigated.