Arrest warrant issued for former EU commissioner in Qatargate probe

The warrant against Avramopoulos, a current New Democracy MP, has not been executed, as his parliamentary status means his immunity must first be lifted by the Greek parliament.

According to reports, the former European commissioner is accused of participating in a criminal organisation, with the authorities linking the case to a financial benefit of about €73,000. The same sources said Avramopoulos went to the Athens Appeals Prosecutor’s Office on Monday 22 June, accompanied by his lawyer, to be informed of the developments concerning him. The case is now expected to move to the parliamentary level, as execution of the warrant requires the lifting of his immunity.

According to MEGA, Avramopoulos’s side says the former European commissioner had received the necessary approvals from both European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the European Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies (EGE) for his participation in the NGO. It also maintains that the payments he received as an honorary member of the organisation’s board had been properly declared to the competent authorities and fully taxed.

Avramopoulos was involved in Fight Impunity, the non-governmental organisation founded by Antonio Panzeri, a former MEP implicated in the Qatargate scandal, in which Eva Kaili was also detained. The development brings back into focus the corruption case that shook the European Parliament in 2022.

It was also revealed at the time that Fight Impunity, on whose board Avramopoulos sat, had received funding from Qatar. Avramopoulos himself had said he received €60,000 from the organisation for the period from February 2021 to February 2022, and later announced his resignation as an honorary member of its board.

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