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Greek authorities on Tuesday examined a European arrest warrant for former EU migration commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos, issued by Belgian prosecutors investigating the so-called Qatargate cash-for-influence scandal.
A Belgian investigating judge issued the warrant against Avramopoulos, a former Greek European commissioner, a Greek government official said late Monday, confirming reports in Belgian and Greek media.
Avramopoulos, who served as European commissioner for migration from 2014 to 2019 and is now a Greek lawmaker, has denied any wrongdoing.
The European Commission said the post-mandate activities of Avramopoulos had previously been examined and that no violation was found in a 2022 assessment.
Balazs Ujvari, one of the European Commission's spokespersons, answered questions on the issue at the Commission's daily press briefing.
Ujvari said the Commission had seen media reports but said the matter was part of an ongoing criminal investigation by Belgian authorities and that the Commission could not comment specifically at this stage.
He said the Commission had not received any request to lift the former commissioner's immunity and that Avramopoulos had not submitted any request for legal assistance in connection with the case.
Ujvari said the Commission had carried out the necessary checks on Avramopoulos' activities after he left office, noting that former commissioners are required to obtain the Commission's permission for activities undertaken within two years of leaving office.
He said the independent ethics committee had issued an opinion in the case and that the opinion was publicly available. Commission members then assessed and approved the relevant activity under certain conditions and restrictions.
Ujvari emphasized that authorization of an activity and alleged irregularities were separate issues.
"In 2022, we reviewed the matter again, requested explanations from him, and at that time we did not identify any sign that the conditions included in the Commission decision had been violated," Ujvari said.
The Greek parliament must decide whether to lift the immunity Avramopoulos, 73, enjoys as a lawmaker for the ruling conservative New Democracy party, a parliamentary source said.
Avramopoulos said Monday that he "has not been involved, either directly or indirectly, in any wrongful activity."
Contacted by Agence France-Presse (AFP), the Belgian prosecutor's office declined to comment on the case.
According to the Greek ANA news agency, the Belgian investigation concerns Avramopoulos' alleged work with the nongovernmental organization Fight Impunity, founded by former MEP Antonio Panzeri, a central figure in Qatargate.
"My involvement with the organisation Fight Impunity, alongside leading international figures, was entirely legal, audited, approved, declared and mandated," Avramopoulos said.
He added that he had declared all his income, including fees received from the NGO, to the tax authorities.
According to several media reports, Avramopoulos may have received up to 73,000 euros ($83,200) for his services to the NGO.
The Qatargate scandal broke in December 2022 with the arrest in Brussels of half a dozen suspects and the seizure of large sums of cash, including at the homes of former Italian MEP Panzeri and Greek European Parliament Vice President Eva Kaili, who was forced to resign.
The scandal saw several EU lawmakers accused in 2022 of being paid to promote the interests of Qatar and Morocco.
Qatar and Morocco are suspected of having orchestrated corruption within the European Parliament to burnish their images on human rights.
Both countries have firmly denied the allegations.
The investigation, conducted in Belgium, has been significantly delayed by legal challenges from various lawyers over the legality of the proceedings.
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