The Belgian judiciary has issued an arrest warrant and is requesting the lifting of the immunity of Dimitris Avramopoulos so that he can answer questions from Belgian authorities.

Avramopoulos was involved with the NGO Fight Impunity, founded by former MEP Antonio Panzeri, who is at the center of the Qatargate corruption scandal. The case also led to the detention of Eva Kaili during the investigation.

According to Belgian prosecutors, Avramopoulos allegedly received money from what they describe as a “criminal network.” The former commissioner rejects any wrongdoing, stating that all compensation he received from the NGO was properly declared in his asset declarations (“Pothen Esches”) and reported to Greek tax authorities.

Avramopoulos’ response

In a statement issued on December 19, 2022, Avramopoulos said:

• His participation in Fight Impunity was purely honorary and did not involve executive or management responsibilities.
• He served on an advisory committee alongside prominent figures including Federica Mogherini, former French Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve, and Italian senator Emma Bonino.
• Before accepting the position and compensation, he sought and received written approval from the European Commission and its Independent Ethical Committee.
• He received compensation of €5,000 per month for one year, from February 2021 to February 2022.
• The payments were declared and taxed in Greece in accordance with Greek law.
• He requested that the compensation stop in February 2022 because the NGO’s activities had diminished.
• Following the revelations surrounding the Qatargate investigation, he immediately submitted his resignation and requested that his name be removed from the NGO’s website.

The Belgian authorities are now seeking to question Avramopoulos as part of the broader investigation into alleged corruption and illicit influence operations linked to Qatargate. No final judicial determination has been made regarding the allegations.