\u201cMy salary, 5,000 euros gross per month, was fully declared and taxed in Greece,\u201d says Dimitris Avramopoulos<\/b> in \u201cManifesto.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cDuring my tenure, the European Commission<\/b> had taken a strict stance on the issue of visa-free entry for Qatar<\/b>, and, within the scope of my responsibilities, I had rejected the relevant request. \u201cApproval was granted later by the next Commission,\u201d former European Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos emphasized in an interview with \u201cManifesto.\u201d<\/p>\n
Responding to the question of what the internal investigation by the European Commission revealed, he maintains that \u201cthe commissioners of the new Commission confirmed in writing that I never mentioned Fight Impunity<\/b> or any related issue to them. So the question remains: on what is the accusation based?\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n
He makes it clear that he is not asking for special treatment, but \u201cfor the facts and the institutional documents to be examined. It is clear from these that there is no basis for any charge against me.\u201d<\/p>\n
What is your basic position regarding the warrant that was allegedly issued against you?<\/b><\/p>\n
My position is absolutely clear. This action, as presented, is not based on sufficient factual evidence and raises serious questions. It does not affect just one person. It undermines trust in institutions, in justice and in the rule of law.<\/p>\n
Where does the fundamental paradox lie?<\/b><\/p>\n
In the timeline and the facts. My term at the European Commission ended in 2019. Qatargate broke out in 2022. My involvement with Fight Impunity took place after my term ended; it was disclosed, reviewed, and approved by the European Commission. There was no hidden or non-transparent relationship.<\/p>\n
Did you know Mr. Panzeri personally?<\/b><\/p>\n
I had heard of him through his work at the European Parliament <\/b>on human rights issues. We had personal contact only twice: when he invited me to join the Fight Impunity honorary committee, along with other international figures, and once more at the Delphi Forum. There was no personal relationship; we did not communicate regularly, and we had not even exchanged cell phone numbers.<\/p>\n
What was your relationship with Fight Impunity?<\/b><\/p>\n
My involvement with Fight Impunity was honorary and advisory,<\/b> without any executive, administrative, financial, or operational responsibilities. I had no involvement in the organization\u2019s administration, finances, decision-making, or activities. My participation was formally disclosed, reviewed, and approved by the European Commission.<\/p>\n
My salary, 5,000 euros gross per month, was fully declared and taxed in Greece. My salary payments ceased earlier, after eleven months, on my own initiative and before the scandal came to light. I had no knowledge of or suspicion regarding any covert activities. If there had been the slightest suspicion, I would have resigned immediately.<\/p>\n
Did you have any influence over matters concerning Qatar?<\/b><\/p>\n
Absolutely none. I had no authority, institutional involvement, or influence. On the contrary, during my tenure, the European Commission had maintained a strict stance on the issue of visa-free travel to Qatar, and, within the scope of my responsibilities, I had rejected the relevant request. Approval was later granted by the subsequent Commission.<\/p>\n
What did the European Commission\u2019s internal investigation reveal?<\/b><\/p>\n
It showed that I did not intervene in any way. The commissioners of the new Commission confirmed in writing that I never mentioned Fight Impunity or any related issue to them. So the question remains: on what is the accusation based?<\/p>\n
How do you assess the handling of the case?<\/b><\/p>\n
I do not wish to speculate about individuals or agencies. However, in a European state governed by the rule of law, accuracy, documentation, and respect for procedures are required. The justice system cannot function based on leaks, impressions, or public outcry.<\/p>\n
Did you receive a summons from the Belgian authorities?<\/b><\/p>\n
Eight months ago, I received a summons from the Belgian police. I replied that I do not intend to travel to Belgium because I have no connection to Qatargate. At the same time, I stated that if they believe I can contribute to the investigation, they can send me a written questionnaire. I have nothing to hide.<\/p>\n
Why did you request the lifting of your immunity?<\/b><\/p>\n
Because I have nothing to fear. I trust the Greek justice system and want everything to be examined transparently and in accordance with the law. Immunity exists to protect the institution of parliament, not to avoid the truth.<\/p>\n
Do you see any political expediency in Greece?<\/b><\/p>\n
No. I do not believe there is any political expediency in Greece. It would have no logical basis. The issue is that the case, as presented, is not based on the actual facts, is not corroborated by the institutional documents<\/b>, and is not linked to any action on my part.<\/p>\n
The European Commission has publicly confirmed that your actions were correct. How do you respond to this?<\/b><\/p>\n
Everything was done in accordance with the European Commission\u2019s regulations and with its official approval, following the necessary institutional checks. This is crucial. There was no arbitrary, covert, or non-transparent action on my part. The process was well-known, vetted, and approved by the relevant European institutions.<\/p>\n
What is your message?<\/b><\/p>\n
Everything out in the open. With trust in the justice system, respect for institutions, and a commitment to the truth. I am not asking for special treatment. I ask that the facts and the institutional documents be examined. It is clear from these that there is no basis for any charges against me.<\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cMy salary, 5,000 euros gross per month, was fully declared and taxed in Greece,\u201d Dimitris Avramopoulos tells *Manifesto*.
\n\u201cAccording to my own…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12913,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12912","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12912","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12912"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12912\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/12913"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12912"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12912"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12912"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}