Greek parliamentary committee backs lifting Avramopoulos' immunity in Qatargate probe

Greece's Parliamentary Ethics Committee has unanimously recommended lifting the parliamentary immunity of Dimitris Avramopoulos in connection with the Qatargate investigation, as Belgian authorities continue to examine the high-profile corruption case.

Avramopoulos, a lawmaker from the governing New Democracy party and former European Commissioner, requested the lifting of his own immunity through a detailed memorandum submitted to parliament, saying he wanted the case to be fully investigated.

In his statement, Avramopoulos argued that his role on the Honorary Board of the non-governmental organization Fight Impunity was purely honorary and did not involve executive, administrative or financial responsibilities.

He said he had no involvement in the organization's financial management, fundraising or operational decision-making.

Avramopoulos also maintained that his participation in the organization had been formally declared to the European Commission and had undergone the required ethics review. He added that the remuneration he received had been officially approved, declared and taxed in Greece.

Addressing allegations related to Qatar's visa liberalization process with the European Union, Avramopoulos stated that no visa exemption for Qatari nationals was approved during his term as European Commissioner. According to him, the Qatari authorities had been informed that the necessary conditions had not yet been met, while the initiative was pursued by the subsequent European Commission in 2022.

The committee's recommendation will now be forwarded to the Greek Parliament, which will make the final decision on whether to lift Avramopoulos' parliamentary immunity.