A former leading member of Greece’s neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party was arrested in Belgium on Tuesday, hours after the European Parliament lifted his immunity, Greek police said.
Legislators overwhelmingly voted in favour of stripping Greek MEP Ioannis Lagos, who has been sentenced to jail in his homeland, of his immunity in a secret ballot held on Monday.
The European Parliament said 658 parliamentarians voted in favour of the move, and only 25 opposed.
The result of the ballot, which was was held following a request from Greek authorities, and Lagos’ subsequent arrest paves the way for Belgian authorities to extradite him to Greece.
Greek Euro MP Lagos arrested to face neo-Nazi jail term
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image captionLagos, shown here (right) in court in Athens last October, was allowed to return to Brussels because of his immunity
Ioannis Lagos, facing jail in Greece for crimes linked to the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party, has been detained by Belgian police after the European Parliament voted to lift his immunity.
Lagos was convicted last October, along with the rest of the party leadership, of running a criminal organisation.
Although the court jailed him for more than 13 years, he was given immunity because he is an elected Euro MP.
Greek former neo-Nazi MEP arrested in Brussels
Issued on:
27/04/2021 - 14:12 The former nightclub bouncer was convicted in October on several charges, including running a criminal organisation LOUISA GOULIAMAKI AFP/File 3 min
Athens (AFP)
The former leading member of Greece s neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party was arrested in Belgium on Tuesday, hours after the European Parliament lifted his immunity, Greek police said.
A police source confirmed to AFP that MEP Ioannis Lagos was arrested in Brussels under an international arrest warrant to serve a 13-year jail term in Greece.
The independent MEP had earlier tweeted: I am in a Belgian police car. being taken to jail.
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