A Belgian arrest warrant for Dimitris Avramopoulos, Greece’s former European commissioner and a New Democracy MP, is expected to be sent to the Greek parliament this morning, after landing like a bolt from the blue across the political system, in connection with the Qatargate corruption investigation.

The request to lift his parliamentary immunity has been forwarded by the Supreme Court Prosecutor’s Office to Greek Justice Minister George Floridis and is expected to be submitted to the Hellenic Parliament, which will decide whether the warrant can be executed.

The development caused surprise for two main reasons. First, the wider Qatargate case, in which former European Parliament vice-president Eva Kaili, her partner Francesco Giorgi and former MEP Antonio Panzeri were among those implicated, has largely remained inactive. Second, Avramopoulos’s name had already been mentioned at the end of 2022 in connection with his participation on the board of an NGO linked to Panzeri. At the time, the former Greek commissioner said his work for the organisation had been entirely lawful and that all payments he received had been fully declared to the Greek authorities.

At issue for the Belgian authorities is a sum of just over €70,000 gross, which Avramopoulos is alleged to have received for his participation on the NGO’s board. Other members included Federica Mogherini, the former EU high representative for foreign affairs, and Bernard Cazeneuve, a former French prime minister.

According to information from European sources, Avramopoulos could face accusations relating to the acceptance of proceeds of crime, linked to alleged bribery, and possibly participation in a criminal organisation.

Since the beginning of the Qatargate investigation, Avramopoulos has denied any wrongdoing and has insisted that his relationship with Fight Impunity was lawful, declared and approved by the European Commission.

In a statement, he said he had been informed by journalists that a document had allegedly been sent by the Belgian authorities to Greece, attempting “without any basis” to link his name to the Fight Impunity case.

“This case never concerned me,” he said, adding that the matter had been closed three years ago “with full institutional transparency” and with approval from the European Commission, following a decision signed by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

Avramopoulos said his involvement with Fight Impunity, together with other international figures, had been “entirely lawful, audited, approved, declared and taxed”. He denied any direct or indirect involvement in wrongdoing and said any attempt by the Belgian authorities to implicate him in the case would be met with all available legal means.

“Although this is a completely baseless matter, I state unequivocally that I will not invoke any parliamentary immunity,” he said. “On the contrary, I will turn to the Greek justice system myself, requesting that the matter be fully investigated and a ruling be issued.”

The former commissioner has maintained that he declared all payments received from the NGO in his 2019 financial disclosure statement. Belgian judicial authorities, however, reportedly claim that the money came from a “criminal network”.

Legal circles in Athens consider the case extremely weak unless there is evidence beyond what is already known. They point out that Avramopoulos had the European Commission’s approval to work with Panzeri’s NGO, while his fees were declared in his Greek asset declaration and taxed. It would be highly unlikely, relevant legal sources estimate, that he knew the source of the money. They also ask what position is being taken regarding the other high-profile members of the board, who also received the agreed fees from the NGO.

“No issue over New Democracy candidate lists”

The reopening of the Avramopoulos case now shifts attention to what exactly will be included in the arrest warrant expected to arrive in parliament within the coming hours. Relevant legal sources are urging patience and calm over any dramatic wording that may eventually prove to be less substantial than it first appears, as they argue happened in the second OPEKEPE case. Qatargate itself, moreover, has gone through repeated twists and complications.

Since Monday, Maximos Mansion, the office of the Greek prime minister, has kept a low profile on the case. Avramopoulos issued a statement insisting that there was nothing improper in the matter.

According to information, based on the evidence available so far, there is no issue regarding his inclusion on New Democracy’s candidate lists. Avramopoulos was elected in Ilia in 2023, months after the Qatargate case had broken and his name had been mentioned. In recent months, there have also been scenarios suggesting that he may return to the Athens A constituency, where he had been elected for many years.