Qatargate reached the Greek Parliament: the former European Commissioner’s immunity was lifted

The Greek Parliament lifted parliamentary immunity from former European Commissioner and current New Democracy MP Dimitris Avramopoulos, paving the way for the Belgian investigation into Qatargate to continue.

Voted to lift immunity 264 out of 266 deputies presenttwo stated “present.” Avramopoulos himself previously asked parliament to allow the procedure to continue and stated that he intended to cooperate with the Belgian authorities.

Why are the Belgians interested in Avramopoulos?

The investigation is related to the cooperation of the former European Commissioner with NGOs Fight Impunitycreated by former Italian MEP Antonio Panzeri, one of the central figures of Qatargate.

Belgian materials reported euronewscontain suspicions of participation in a criminal organization, public corruption and laundering of proceeds from illegal activities.

Particular attention of the investigation was drawn to payments to Avramopoulos from Fight Impunity. The publications indicate an amount of approx. €73–75 thousand. The politician himself claims that the remuneration was officially agreed upon, declared in Greece and taxed.

The European Commission did not find any violations on its part

For balance, it is important to note one more detail. After the start of Qatargate, the European Commission checked whether Avramopoulos complied with the conditions established for his activities after leaving the post of European Commissioner. According to the Commission, there were no signs of violation of these conditions. At the same time, Brussels emphasized that this check did not concern the possible illegal activities of Fight Impunity itself – this is the subject of a Belgian criminal investigation.

Warrant issued after failure to appear

Avramopoulos had previously been called to testify in Belgium, but he didn’t show up. Was issued in June European arrest warrant for him. Later, a deputy tried to challenge its execution in Greece, but the procedure reached parliament.

Avramopoulos now admits the initial failure to appear was a mistake and says he will go to Belgian investigators once a date is set.

“Athens News” wrote in detail about the beginning of this procedure back in June in the material “Qatargate: Parliament received a request for the arrest of MP Avramopoulos”. Even earlier we told how Qatargate investigation leads to Avramopoulosand also monitored the development of the case Eva Kylie and other persons involved.

What is Qatargate

Qatargate is a corruption investigation that began in Belgium in December 2022 after a series of searches related to suspicions of external influence on the European Parliament. The investigation is examining whether representatives of foreign states, primarily Qatar and Morocco, may have transferred money and gifts to people associated with European institutions in exchange for favorable decisions and political assistance. Qatar and Morocco denied unlawful interference.

During the searches, Belgian investigators seized about €1.5 million in cash. Among the first key figures were a former Italian MEP Antonio Panzerifounder of Fight Impunity, his former assistant Francesco Giorgi and then Vice-President of the European Parliament Eva Kylie. They faced charges related to corruption, money laundering and participation in a criminal organization.

The investigation has been ongoing for almost four years and is gradually expanding. It was through his connection with Fight Impunity that Dimitris Avramopoulos now came to the attention of the Belgian authorities.

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