New evidence from the case file concerning Dimitris Avramopoulos brings to light a series of messages exchanged between him and Eva Kaili, as political discussions continue behind the scenes over the latest developments and the reactions they have triggered. The messages were exclusively revealed during the main evening news bulletin on Star.
The app messages between Avramopoulos and Kaili
The exchange in question took place via WhatsApp in March 2020. Belgian investigators discovered the messages and included them in the case file. According to Star, Dimitris Avramopoulos informed Eva Kaili in the messages that he would be meeting his successor, EU Migration Commissioner Ylva Johansson, and Kaili reminded him to raise the Kuwait–Oman–Qatar package — specifically the matter of visa liberalization for those three countries. The conversation was conducted in a mix of both English and Greek.
The messages read specifically as follows:
– Dimitris Avramopoulos: I’ll see the Swedish woman Thursday morning.
– Eva Kaili: Kuwait, Oman, Qatar package (emoji with hands in a grateful gesture and a smiling face)
– Dimitris Avramopoulos: Done!
According to Belgian investigators, Johansson was at that time creating obstacles for Qatari leader Al Thani regarding the abolition of visa requirements that Qatar had been seeking. It should be noted, however, that Ylva Johansson had previously stated that her meeting with Dimitris Avramopoulos was purely ceremonial in nature.
The next legal steps
As reported by Star regarding Dimitris Avramopoulos’s upcoming legal moves, the Greek MP is seeking to have Greek judicial authorities annul the European Arrest Warrant issued against him. He has characterized it as “invalid,” and according to sources, his legal team is expected to complete the filing of the appeal for annulment by tomorrow afternoon. He has already appealed to the Prosecutor’s Office of the Supreme Court, declaring the warrant groundless. What does this mean in practice? Until the judges reach a decision, no proceedings to lift his parliamentary immunity will move forward.
A message from Maximos Mansion
As reported by Giorgos Evgenidis on Star’s main evening news bulletin, Avramopoulos’s remarks that he has “nothing to answer to anyone” have reportedly caused significant discomfort within the Greek Prime Minister’s office at Maximos Mansion. Earlier today, the government spokesperson refused to confirm whether Avramopoulos would appear on New Democracy’s electoral lists.
It is evident that Avramopoulos’s television appearance yesterday triggered unease at Maximos Mansion, and it was no coincidence that government spokesperson Marinakis made a pointed remark today: that decisions regarding New Democracy’s electoral ballots are made solely by Prime Minister Mitsotakis. It is now clear that the issue at hand is not Avramopoulos’s immediate departure from politics, but rather that a window is opening for him not to stand as a candidate in the upcoming elections in Ilia — the constituency where he was elected. This will, of course, also depend on how the legal situation unfolds, and it must be noted that Maximos Mansion is drawing a clear distinction between the legal and political dimensions of the case, believing that legally the charges are unfounded.
As for the matter of lifting Avramopoulos’s parliamentary immunity — given that he will be filing to annul the arrest warrant, and that the Parliament’s Ethics Committee has other pending files that take precedence — no immediate developments are expected. A competent source estimates that the vote on lifting Avramopoulos’s immunity will come before Parliament around mid-July, as the law provides for a three-month window from the moment the case file is formally transmitted.
