The Greek Parliament on Thursday voted overwhelmingly to lift the parliamentary immunity of Dimitris Avramopoulos, former European Commissioner. This decision allows Belgian authorities to continue their investigations into a case known as "Qatargate."
Voting Details
Of the 266 representatives present, 264 voted in favor of lifting his immunity, while two others declared themselves "present." The Parliament's Ethics Committee had previously recommended this action unanimously. This process began after a European arrest warrant was issued by a Belgian investigating judge in June.
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Dimitris Avramopoulos' Position
Dimitris Avramopoulos, a representative of the "New Democracy" party and 73 years old, served as the European Commissioner for Migration from 2014 to 2019 and was previously the Mayor of Athens. He has firmly denied any illegal activities and has requested the lifting of his immunity himself. In a statement to Parliament, he expressed his desire to fully cooperate with the relevant authorities.
He added: "I have never participated directly or indirectly in any illegal activity and have never acted for the illegal interests of any government or third party. I am not seeking to protect myself from investigations, but rather the opportunity to present real evidence."
Belgian Investigations and Connections to NGOs
The Belgian investigations particularly concern Dimitris Avramopoulos' connection to the NGO "Fight Impunity," which was founded by Antonio Panzeri, a former Italian Member of the European Parliament. Avramopoulos served as a member of the Honorary Board of this organization from 2020 to 2021.
He emphasized that his cooperation with "Fight Impunity" was entirely legal and that all related fees have been declared to tax authorities. The documents related to the arrest warrant mention charges of participation in a criminal organization, public corruption, and money laundering, which are still under investigation.
The Belgian investigation process began in December 2022, when Belgian authorities conducted searches and arrests following allegations of foreign government attempts to influence European Parliament decisions using money and gifts. During this investigation, approximately 1.5 million euros in cash have been seized.
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