The Aporia · Greek parliament lifts immunity of ex-Commissioner amid 'Qatargate' probe

Greece's parliament removed the immunity of former European Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos on September 17, allowing for further investigation into the 'Qatargate' scandal. The case involves allegations that EU officials accepted bribes from Qatar to influence policymaking; Avramopoulos denies any wrongdoing and plans to voluntarily appear before Belgian authorities. A European arrest warrant was issued in June for Avramopoulos, who served as European Commissioner for Migration from 2014 to 2019 and later joined the NGO Fight Impunity, which is at the center of the probe.

Written by AI on 2026-09-17, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

Story summary

In September, Greece’s parliament lifted the immunity of Dimitris Avramopoulos, a former European Commissioner and current lawmaker with the ruling conservative New Democracy party. This action was taken in response to an ongoing “Qatargate” investigation where Avramopoulos is one of several EU officials accused of accepting bribes from Qatar. In June, a Belgian investigating judge issued a European arrest warrant for him on charges including participation in a criminal group and public corruption. Despite the allegations, Avramopoulos has denied any wrongdoing or links to the case, asserting that his involvement with an anti-corruption organization called Fight Impunity was lawful and audited. Qatar also denies any wrongdoing related to these accusations. With parliamentary immunity now lifted, authorities can proceed with further legal actions against Avramopoulos.

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In June, when the warrant was issued, Avramopoulos said in a statement that his past involvement with Fight Impunity was "lawful, audited, approved" and any association of his name with the case by Belgian authorities is "arbitrary, unacceptable, suspicious".

framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-17

🔮 Dimitris Avramopoulos — a former Athens mayor and current lawmaker with the ruling conservative New Democracy party — has denied any wrongdoing or links to the case, under which several EU officials have been accused of accepting bribes from Qatar.

2026-09-17 · The Straits Times

Greek parliament lifts immunity of ex-Commissioner amid 'Qatargate' probe · assertive framing

Greek parliament lifts immunity of ex-Commissioner amid 'Qatargate' probe ATHENS, Sept 17 - asserted

parliament → lift → probe

Greece's parliament lifted the immunity of one of the country's former European Commissioners on Thursday, clearing the way for further action by authorities investigating the "Qatargate" corruption case, one of the biggest scandals to hit the EU. asserted

parliament → lift → EU

Dimitris Avramopoulos — a former Athens mayor and current lawmaker with the ruling conservative New Democracy party — has denied any wrongdoing or links to the case, under which several EU officials have been accused of accepting bribes from Qatar. asserted

officials → rule → Qatar

Qatar has also repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. asserted

Qatar → deny → wrongdoing

A Belgian investigating judge issued a European arrest warrant for Avramopoulos in June linked to the case, on accusations of participation in a criminal group, public corruption and money laundering, according to a government document seen by Reuters. uncertain

judge → investigate → Reuters

Until Thursday's vote, the 73-year-old had been shielded from arrest and prosecution by the parliamentary immunity granted to lawmakers. asserted

old → shield → lawmakers

On Thursday, Greek media quoted Avramopoulos as saying that he planned to appear voluntarily before Belgian authorities. asserted

he → quote → authorities

The Belgian prosecutor's office did not immediately reply to an emailed request for comment. asserted

office → reply → comment

Belgian authorities say they have seized about €1.5 million ($1.72 million) in cash during raids linked to the whole Qatargate case, which emerged in 2022. asserted

which → say → 2022

Some money was found stuffed into a large suitcase in a Brussels hotel. asserted

money → find → hotel

Investigators have alleged Qatar paid out cash or made payments via a non-profit organisations to influence European Union policymaking — accusations denied by Doha. Avramopoulos served as the European Commissioner for Migration in 2014 t 2019. asserted

Avramopoulos → allege → 2014

From 2020 to 2021, he started working as an honorary board member for Fight Impunity, an NGO linked to the case, the Greek government document said. asserted

document → start → case

association → issue → authorities

Greek parliament lifts immunity of ex-Commissioner amid 'Qatargate' probe

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