Belgian authorities have launched a procedure that could result in an arrest warrant being issued for former EU Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos, due to his alleged involvement in the Qatargate scandal, according to a Belgian judicial source cited by De Standaard and shared with Euractiv.
The former Commissioner served on the board of Fight Impunity, an NGO founded by Antonio Panzeri, the former MEP at the centre of the corruption scandal that sent shockwaves through Brussels.
According to local reports, the Greek judicial authorities have been informed of a request to lift the immunity of Avramopoulos, who currently serves as a member of the Greek Parliament and is therefore shielded from investigation or prosecution. A majority of lawmakers have to approve the request before the investigation can move on.
Avramopoulos, who has not been formally indicted yet and is presumed innocent, described the case as “entirely unfounded”, but stressed that he would personally turn to the Greek judicial authorities and “request that the matter be fully investigated and adjudicated”.
The former Commissioner also said that his involvement with Panzeri’s NGO was “fully lawful, duly audited and approved”.
