The CSV party president has been accused of being paid a salary for a job he did not do at a party-linked not-for-profit, as reported by RTL, Reporter and Paperjam. He allegedly was paid €40,000 by CSV-Frëndeskrees (roughly, Friends of the CSV), which manages the party’s real estate portfolio.

He announced that he would explain himself shortly via a press conference.

Engel has allegedly benefitted from a remuneration for seven months, from June to December 2020, as a project manager for the non-profit.

It’s a claim he doesn’t dispute, according to Reporter. Employed 40 hours a week, Engel was responsible for the external representation of the association, the recruitment of new members and the preparation for the transformation of the association into a foundation.

His contract was reportedly signed by the treasurer of the association, André Martins, and the secretary general of the party, Félix Eischen--the existence of which was apparently known by other members of the association's leadership.

A letter to the judicial authorities

It was on 8 March that the "scandal" erupted, during the association’s general assembly. Members of the parliamentary group, also members of the non-profit organisation, apparently appreciated very little that such a contract existed--to the point of writing this Tuesday to the judicial authorities to denounce the facts, following a previously requested legal opinion.

Engel spoke to Reporter of "not being a criminal" but also that he was prepared to repay the amounts collected. According to him, this is purely and simply a new way to sideline him while he is for the time being the only declared candidate for the presidency of the CSV, a position he has held since 2019.

It is in any case a new thorny issue after the one surrounding his presence on the board of Global Strategies Group Holding SA, then his statements regarding the taxation of wealth, financial transactions and specialised investment funds, which went in the opposite direction of his party.

Party executives silent

In response to the current attacks, Engel has already warned that he will bring defamation complaints against those who accuse him of unlawful behavior.

When contacted, party officials did not want to comment. Engel has announced a press conference is to take place before the end of the week.

This article was originally published in French on Paperjam.lu and has been translated and edited for Delano.