Frank Engel speaking during a press conference on 19 March this year announcing his resignation Library photo: Matic Zorman / Maison Moderne

Frank Engel speaking during a press conference on 19 March this year announcing his resignation Library photo: Matic Zorman / Maison Moderne

The former president of the CSV, Frank Engel, and six other members of Luxembourg’s main opposition party were acquitted in a fraud trial on Thursday that had triggered a leadership crisis among the Christian democrats.

The trial into misuse of party assets started on 19 October. Engel between June and December last year received a salary of around €6,000 a month from a not-for-profit affiliated with the CSV, the so-called CSV Frëndeskrees. Among other functions, the group owns the party’s HQ, as political parties aren’t allowed to hold real estate.

In return for the money, Engel was supposed to find a new headquarters for the party, explore transforming the not-for-profit into a foundation and drive party recruitment. However, he faced allegations that this job was only a front for him to receive a salary. The office of party president isn’t renumerated and Engel had no other income at the time.

But a Luxembourg court on Thursday acquitted Engel and six other members of the CSV of all charges. Engel, together with the CSV’s former secretary general Félix Eischen and former Frëndeskrees treasurer André Martins Dias appeared in court to hear the verdict.

Engel had previously said that the trial was politically motivated, after he had clashed with his party. For example, he spoke out in favour of introducing a wealth tax and raising more taxes on inheritances. He later , having spoken without the CSV’s backing, but already then there was speculation he might be pressured to resign.

Members of the CSV had reported the suspicion of misuse of party assets and fraud to the public prosecutor’s office.

The public prosecutor had demanded a for Engel, and six months for Eischen and Martins Dias, as well as fines for the other four defendants. It can appeal the verdict while Engel on Thursday said he would  against the members of parliament who reported him to the prosecutor.

In the wake of , the CSV elected Claude Wiseler as its new president, who selected a  to serve with him. The trial could have become uncomfortable for him as two of his team--co-president Elisabeth Margue and co-secretary general Stéphanie Weydert--were among the six people targeted by the public prosecutor’s office.

Both were cleared on Thursday, as were Georges Pierret and Georges Heirendt.

The CSV in a study last month . The party secured just 15 seats in the fake ballot that assesses voter sentiment, losing six seats compared to the 2018 election. While in November 2020, the party received a score of 0.1 on how highly voters think of the work it does (on a scale of +5, thinking very highly, to -5), this dropped to -0.3 last month.

Updated on 10 December at 10.35am to include Frank Engel’s confirmation he would file a legal complaint.