BRUSSELS/ATHENS, June 23 (Reuters) – A Belgian investigating judge has issued a European arrest warrant against former Greek European Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos, a Greek government official said late on Monday, confirming reports in Belgian and Greek media.
• The warrant is linked to a corruption scandal that emerged in 2022.
• Several EU officials are alleged to have accepted bribes from Qatar to influence European Union policymaking.
• Known as “Qatargate”, the case is one of the biggest scandals to hit the 27-nation bloc.
• Investigators carried out raids in which they seized €1.5 million ($1.6 million) in cash, some stuffed into a large suitcase found in a Brussels hotel.
• In a statement on Monday, Avramopoulos denied any wrongdoing.
• “There was no direct or indirect involvement of mine in anything reprehensible,” he said.
• He said he would 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 decision be made.”
• Avramopoulos sits in the Greek Parliament for the ruling conservative New Democracy party.
• He served as the European Commissioner for Migration until 2019 and later joined Fight Impunity, an NGO linked to Qatargate.
• Fight Impunity could not be reached for comment.
• The Belgian prosecutor’s office declined to comment.
• Qatar has always denied any wrongdoing.
(Reporting by Charlotte Van Campenhout, Renee Maltezou and Yannis Souliotis, Editing by Barbara Lewis)
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