The case file concerning Member of Parliament Dimitris Avramopoulos was forwarded to Parliament earlier today, Tuesday (June 23), setting in motion the institutional procedure for the lifting of parliamentary immunity.
According to the planned schedule, in the coming days and within the next week, the Parliament’s Ethics Committee is expected to summon Mr. Avramopoulos to provide explanations regarding the case. These explanations may be provided either in person or in writing.
About ten days later, the Committee will report on the matter to the Plenary, which will then make the final decision by secret ballot on whether or not to lift his immunity.
During the debate in the Plenary, Mr. Avramopoulos himself will have the opportunity to take the floor and present his own version of events.
The procedure is being initiated due to Mr. Avramopoulos’s status as a sitting member of Parliament, a fact that necessitates the involvement of the House, in accordance with the Rules of Procedure.
It should be noted that his public stance is also expected to be taken into account; he has already stated that he wishes to have his immunity lifted in order to facilitate the judicial investigation.
Marinakis: It is to his credit that he does not want his immunity to stand in the way
Government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis was also asked about the issue; speaking on SKAI Radio, he emphasized the importance of judicial independence.
“From what he says in his statement, it appears that he has the answers to the questions that will be put to him. But I am not a judge, nor does the government represent the Public Prosecutor’s Office. No government does, for that matter. The government is the executive branch,” he said.
He noted that “it is to his credit that he does not want parliamentary immunity to stand in the way,” emphasizing that the case must be decided exclusively by the judiciary.
“I cannot say anything more, because it would be institutionally unacceptable to comment on a case I am not familiar with,” he concluded, refraining from any further comment on the substance of the matter.
The Commission’s Position
On the part of the European Commission, spokesperson Balázs Uzvári stated that there is no official comment, as this is an ongoing criminal proceeding being conducted by the Belgian authorities.
“We have not received a request to lift the former Commissioner’s immunity, nor a request from him for legal assistance,” he clarified.
At the same time, he explained that upon the conclusion of Mr. Avramopoulos’s term of office, the prescribed procedures regarding his post-term activities had been followed. Specifically, the European Commission had approved the relevant activity following an opinion from the Independent Ethics Committee.
As he noted, the approval of professional activities is a separate issue from any allegations of misconduct, and he added that the case was reviewed in 2022, with no evidence found of a violation of the conditions that had been set.
Source: ertnews.gr