Greek MPs clear legal path for Avramopoulos in Belgian Qatargate inquiry
Usagevpn.com – Greece’s parliament has voted overwhelmingly to remove the immunity of former European Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos, allowing Belgian judicial authorities to pursue steps connected to the long-running Qatargate investigation.
In Thursday’s vote, 264 of the 266 lawmakers present backed the request to lift his protection from prosecution. The remaining two MPs registered themselves as present rather than voting for or against the measure. Parliament’s Ethics Committee had already unanimously advised that immunity should be waived.
The decision follows a European arrest warrant issued in June by a Belgian investigating judge. Avramopoulos, 73, has firmly rejected allegations of wrongdoing and had asked Greek lawmakers to remove his immunity so that he could engage fully with the inquiry.
Former commissioner says he wants to cooperate
Avramopoulos is a New Democracy MP who served as the European Commission’s migration commissioner from 2014 until 2019. Before moving to Brussels, he was mayor of Athens and held several senior political roles in Greece.
In a memorandum sent to parliament, he said he did not want parliamentary immunity to stand in the way of the investigation. He argued that lifting it would enable him to put forward the evidence he says demonstrates he has no involvement in the conduct being examined.
I have never participated, directly or indirectly, in any illegal activity and I have never acted to serve the unlawful interests of any state or third party.
He said he was not seeking to avoid scrutiny, but wanted the opportunity to present the factual material in his defence and establish that he has no link to the alleged acts.
The warrant concerns suspicions including participation in a criminal organisation, public corruption and money laundering involving proceeds of unlawful activity. These are allegations under investigation in Belgium; they do not amount to a conviction or a judicial finding of guilt.
Fight Impunity connection under examination
A central element of the Belgian inquiry involves Avramopoulos’s relationship with Fight Impunity, a non-governmental organisation created by former Italian member of the European Parliament Antonio Panzeri. Panzeri is one of the key figures in the wider case.
After his European Commission mandate ended, Avramopoulos joined Fight Impunity’s honorary board for the period spanning 2020 and 2021. He has repeatedly maintained that the arrangement was legitimate, and that payments connected to it were disclosed to Greek tax authorities.
My involvement in the organisation Fight Impunity was entirely lawful, vetted, approved, declared and taxed.
That statement was made when the European arrest warrant became public in June. The lifting of immunity does not determine whether the claims against him will be substantiated. Instead, it removes a procedural barrier that could have restricted cooperation between Greek and Belgian authorities.
A probe that shook Brussels
The Qatargate investigation began in December 2022, when Belgian authorities conducted searches and made arrests over claims that foreign governments had sought to influence decisions at the European Parliament through cash and gifts.
Investigators have seized roughly €1.5 million in cash during the case. Among the people arrested were Panzeri and Eva Kaili, who at the time was serving as a vice-president of the European Parliament.
Qatar and Morocco have faced accusations that they attempted to influence European political decisions and improve their public standing through such efforts. Both governments have denied the allegations.
The affair prompted renewed attention to lobbying, outside interests and ethical safeguards in European institutions. It also placed organisations operating around Brussels under closer scrutiny, particularly where former officials or parliamentarians held positions after leaving public office.
For Avramopoulos, the parliamentary vote is significant because it allows the investigation to proceed without the special protection normally attached to an elected legislator. His public stance has been that cooperation is the clearest way to answer the allegations and defend his record.
Legal challenges have slowed proceedings
Despite the scale of the investigation, the Belgian case has faced substantial delays. Legal appeals have challenged whether certain procedural actions taken during the inquiry were lawful, slowing progress through the courts.
Those disputes underline the distinction between high-profile accusations and the judicial process required to test them. Investigators must establish evidence through procedures that can withstand legal scrutiny, while those under investigation retain the right to contest both the allegations and the methods used to pursue them.
The Greek parliament’s decision therefore marks an important procedural development rather than a final outcome. Belgian authorities can continue their work involving Avramopoulos, while he is expected to press his defence that his activities with Fight Impunity were transparent, declared and lawful.
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