Qatargate: Former EU Commissioner Avramopoulos defends himself against arrest warrant

He therefore emphasizes that he has not committed a criminal offense and at the same time disputes the legality of the European arrest warrant. In his complaint, he claims that the arrest warrant does not describe the offenses he is accused of with the precision required by Greek and European law.

In particular, there was a lack of specific information about the time, place and circumstances of the alleged crimes. Furthermore, he argues that the arrest warrant does not provide sufficient information as to which national court decision or which national arrest warrant its issuance is based on. The case is related to the Belgian justice investigation into the so-called Qatargate affair, one of the biggest corruption scandals in the history of the European Union, which has been ongoing since the end of 2022.

Suspicions against Qatar and Morocco

The investigation is concerned with the suspicion that foreign states – in particular Qatar and Morocco – attempted to influence decisions by the European Parliament through monetary payments and other advantages. Both states reject these allegations.

The focus of the investigation is, among other things, the NGO Fight Impunity, which was founded by the former MEP Antonio Panzeri. The Belgian authorities are investigating the relationships of various European politicians with this organization. Avramopoulos was an honorary member of the NGO and is said to have received financial donations according to the investigation.

Avramopoulos denies allegations

According to media reports, Belgian investigators accuse him of participating in a criminal organization; the alleged financial benefit is estimated at around 73,000 euros. Avramopoulos firmly and categorically denies these allegations.

The Greek media has been reporting extensively on the case since the European arrest warrant became known. Both the allegations made by the Belgian judiciary and Avramopoulos’ line of defense are reported on. A focus of the reporting is on his objections to the formal and legal validity of the European Arrest Warrant and on the question of whether the conditions for its execution in Greece are met. At the same time, the case is considered particularly sensitive because of Avramopoulos’ political importance – as a former EU commissioner, former foreign minister and long-standing top Greek politician.