Parliament: Thursday vote on lifting immunity of two MPs

The plenary of the Hellenic Parliament convenes on Thursday 17 September 2026 to discuss and vote on the requests to lift the parliamentary immunity of two MPs, Dimitris Avramopoulos and Zoe Konstantopoulou. In both cases, the Parliament’s Ethics Committee had unanimously recommended lifting immunity, after examining the respective files submitted to Parliament. The plenary vote is the next stage of the standard parliamentary procedure and does not prejudge the final outcome of any pending judicial case. More on Greek political affairs.

The request concerning Dimitris Avramopoulos, an MP and former European Commissioner, is linked to the case known as Qatargate and arose after an arrest warrant issued by Belgian authorities in 2025. Lifting an MP’s immunity is a precondition for the justice system of another country, or Greek justice, to proceed with further procedural actions against him, without this meaning that the warrant has already been assessed in depth or that any guilt is presumed. The Ethics Committee examined the request and unanimously reached a positive recommendation to the plenary, which will be called to decide on Thursday. The matter falls within the wider judicial affairs followed by the public.

The request concerning Zoe Konstantopoulou, president of Plefsi Eleftherias (Course of Freedom), relates to a criminal complaint filed against her by journalist Petros Koussoulis for defamation, according to the complaint. In this case too, the Ethics Committee unanimously recommended lifting immunity. On Sunday 14 September 2026, it became known that two more requests to lift Konstantopoulou’s immunity had been filed with Parliament, which are added to the existing file and are expected to follow their own procedural course within Parliament. Neither the complaint nor the additional requests constitute a finding of guilt; they are allegations reportedly directed against the MP and are pending examination by the competent bodies.

On that same Thursday, 17 September 2026, but in a separate process, the Parliament’s Ethics Committee meets to examine new requests to lift immunity concerning MPs Lazaridis and Avgenakis, cases distinct from those of Avramopoulos and Konstantopoulou, which are at an earlier stage of examination before the committee. The week is particularly busy for the Greek parliament, as the second and final vote on the constitutional revision is scheduled for Wednesday 16 September 2026. It is recalled that lifting immunity is exclusively a procedural step that allows justice to proceed, and does not constitute proof of a charge, a conviction, or a ruling on the merits of the cases. Developments are followed at Ellinika Nea Simera.