Belgian Justice authorities have issued a European arrest warrant for Dimitris Avramopoulos over the EU QatarGate corruption scandal. The former EU Commissioner, former Mayor of Athens is currently MP of Greece’s ruling conservative party New Democracy.
The Belgian authorities request the lifting of the parliamentary immunity of Dimitris Avramopoulos in the context of investigation for Qatargate.
Charged with participation in a criminal organization, with authorities linking the case to a financial gain of 73,000 euros.
The former Commissioner has maintained that the fees he received from the NGO in question for 2019 have been properly declared in his Income Tax Return. However, Belgian authorities are reportedly assessing that the money came from a “criminal network”.
Belgian judicial authorities are requesting the lifting of Dimitris Avramopoulos’ parliamentary immunity, so that the former Commissioner can provide explanations in the context of the investigation into the Qatargate scandal.
According to information of ANT1 TV, the Belgian Justice has issued an arrest warrant against Avramopoulos, who participated in a Non-Governmental Organization of former MEP Antonio Pantseri. Pantseri is at the center of the investigation into Qatargate, a case for which KINAL MEP & Vice President of European Parliament Eva Kaili was also remanded in custody.
The former Commissioner has claimed that the fees he received from this NGO for the year 2019 have been properly declared in his Tax Return. However, the Belgian authorities are reported to estimate that the money came from a “criminal network”.
According to information, the Greek judicial authorities have already been informed of the development of the case.
The arrest warrant, however, cannot be executed immediately, as the process of lifting Avramopoulos’ parliamentary immunity by the Parliament is underway.
As foreseen, the relevant file is forwarded by the Athens Appeals Prosecutor’s Office to the Supreme Court Prosecutor’s Office and then, through the Ministry of Justice, is sent to the Parliament for the intended actions.
Judicial sources also report that Dimitris Avramopoulos visited the Athens Appeals Prosecutor’s Office at noon on Monday, June 22, 2026, the day the case was revealed.
Media recall that since the start of the Qatargate investigations, the former Commissioner has rejected any suspicion of irregularity, claiming that all his actions were completely legal.
In his statement on December 19, 2022, Avramopoulos had pointed out that his participation in the “Fight Impunity” NGO was from the beginning honorary and without executive or managerial responsibilities.
As he stated, the same committee included, among others, the former EU High Representative Federica Mogherini, former French Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve and Italian Senator Emma Bonino.
According to the former EU Commissioner, prior to his participation he had received written approval from the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, while a positive opinion had also been given by the independent Ethics Committee of the Commission on December 10, 2020.
Avramopoulos had stated that he was paid for one year, from February 2021 to February 2022, with 5,000 euros per month, an amount that – as he had emphasized – was declared and taxed in Greece, with a net compensation of 3,750 euros.
He had also stated that from February 2022 he requested that the compensation be discontinued, as the organization’s activity had been significantly limited, while from March of the same year his participation had effectively ended.
According to daily ethnos.gr, after the corruption scandal of Qatargate was made public, the former Commissioner submitted his irrevocable resignation from the organization and requested that his name be removed from its website.
Citing the same sources, the daily reports that Avramopoulos was summoned to testify before the Belgian authorities about a year ago, however, he did not appear, which allegedly worked as an aggravating factor, leading to the issuance of the European warrant.
The request will be forwarded directly by the Athens Appeals Prosecutor’s Office and from there, through the Ministry of Justice, it will reach the Parliament, which will be called upon to decide on the lifting of the immunity of the ND MP, in order to be able to execute the warrant.
Avramopoulos: No involvement, my immunity should be lifted
Accompanied by his lawyer, Avramopoulos visited on Monday the Athens Appeals Prosecutor’s Office in order to be informed of the developments.
“There was no involvement of mine, direct or indirect, in anything reprehensible,” Dimitris Avramopoulos states in his written statement and speaks of a “suspicious attempt” to implicate him.
“Although this is a completely unfounded issue, I declare directly that I will not make use of any parliamentary immunity. On the contrary, I will appeal to the Greek judiciary myself, requesting that the matter be fully investigated and a ruling be made,” he notes, among others.
Dimitris Avramopoulos served a European Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs & Citizenship (2014-2019) and held also several ministerial posts in the Greek governments under conservative Prime Ministers.
