The affair surrounding the planned sports museum, which led to the resignation of the then Christian Social People's Party (CSV) labour and sports minister Georges Mischo at the end of last year, was back on the agenda of the parliamentary budget control committee on Monday afternoon. Finance Minister Gilles Roth, new sports minister Martine Hansen and senior officials from the sports ministry gave their answers to committee members.
Mischo was accused of having signed a "protocol of agreement" with the private developer IKO Real Estate without informing the government and of failing to observe various procedures. Additionally, opposition MPs were curious to know when the idea of a "congress centre" was first proposed, and from whom. However, no clear answers were provided on Monday. It would not be right to point the finger at anyone, CSV MP Stéphanie Weydert countered. The protocol of agreement should certainly not have been signed, she said, and the then labour minister Georges Mischo had suffered the consequences.
Government representatives and members of the committee agreed that the procedures for public procurement had to be improved. Specific training would also be offered in future to help prevent something similar from happening again.
The budget control committee will also have a new chair from the start of the parliamentary term, the current chair of the committee, Luxembourg Socialist Workers’ Party (LSAP) MP Franz Fayot, announced at the end of the meeting. Dudelange deputy mayor Dan Biancalana will take over. The parliamentary group, he added, had agreed to share the mandate.
