In a statement, the former European commissioner said ‘this case never concerned me’, arguing that any attempt to implicate him was unfounded and unsupported by evidence. He said the issue being raised ‘has been definitively closed for three years’, with full institutional coverage and the seal of the European Commission.
Avramopoulos also said his participation in the organisation Fight Impunity was ‘absolutely legal, declared and taxed’, adding that he had no direct or indirect connection to any illegal or reprehensible actions.
At the same time, he criticised the Belgian authorities, describing reports implicating him as ‘arbitrary, unacceptable and suspicious’. He added that he would use every legal means available to protect his reputation.
He made particular reference to his decision not to invoke parliamentary immunity, saying he would instead turn to the courts. ‘I will resort to it myself, requesting that the case be fully investigated,’ he said, calling on the competent authorities to rule on the matter.
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