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Former Differdange mayor given three-year suspended prison sentence

Former MP for the Greens and Differdange Mayor Roberto Traversini has been found guilty, with the court handing down a three-year suspended prison sentence and a fine of €10,000. In addition, he has been banned from holding public office for five years. Traversini was prosecuted for illegal conflict of interest, embezzlement of public funds, and fraud. The public prosecutor had requested a four-year suspended prison sentence, as well as a fine and a ban on holding public office.

Traversini was accused of using his position as mayor and president of the CIGL employment initiative to his own advantage during the renovation of a house he inherited in Niederkorn, and influencing the re-zoning of the area prior to his inheritance. The defence had hoped for acquittal on the fraud charges, yet this was not upheld in the final verdict. Traversini’s lawyer, Rosario Grasso, said they would wait to read the reasoning behind this decision before choosing to appeal.

The judgment is not yet final. Roberto Traversini has 40 days to lodge an appeal. Traversini’s partner, accused of being an accomplice in the illegal conflict of interest, was fined €5,000 as part of the sentencing. A municipal employee accused of the same was acquitted.

Also today

• Luxembourg’s Postal Workers’ Union is demanding fresh wage negotiations despite reaching a legal pay limit for civil servants
• The EU’s highest court has ruled today that European Union countries must issue transgender citizens with ID documents that respect their chosen gender so they can live anywhere in the bloc without discrimination
• Ahead of a tripartite meeting on artificial intelligence, CGFP president Romain Wolff warns that the growing use of AI in Luxembourg’s public sector could threaten jobs if workers are not properly supported.
• The US military is currently “not ready” to escort tankers through the critical Strait of Hormuz because all its assets are focused on striking Iran, Energy Secretary Chris Wright has announced
• The home care services ‘Help’ and ‘Doheem versuergt’ are to complete an administrative merge, with no impact on current patients.
• Two sailors were injured in a non-combat-related fire aboard the USS Gerald R. Ford in the Red Sea on Thursday,

On air

The Divine Comedy track; ‘Jackie’ sent Tom and John down the rabbit hole this evening, where we were led to the works of Jacques Brel and discovered that Frank Sinatra’s ‘My Way’ is an adaptation of the Claude Francois song: ‘Comme d’habitude’!

Figure of the day

Luxembourg Crémant celebrates 35 years of sparkling success.

• What started as an official appellation in 1991 has now developed into a real success story. Luxembourg’s sparkling wine is not only popular within the country, but is also increasingly in demand abroad.
• In 1991, Luxembourg Crémant received its official status. At the time, the winemakers decided to focus on high quality and to produce the sparkling wine using the traditional bottle fermentation method – the same method that is also used for Champagne.

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