According to a brief statement issued by the Christian Social People's Party (CSV) national committee on Friday afternoon, president Frank Engel has resigned from the position.
Engel's responsibilities as president will be assumed by vice-presidents Elisabeth Margue and Stéphanie Weydert.
The news came mere hours after Engel told the press that he had not yet made a decision on his future as president of the CSV. In a press conference on Friday morning, the one-time MEP sought to clear his name after members of his own party reported him to the public prosecutor following claims that he fraudulently took out a contract with the non-profit association ASBL CSV-Frëndeskrees in 2019.
At Friday's briefing, Engel repeated that he did not think he had broken the law and had nothing to apologise for. The public prosecutor's office is due to launch an investigation into the matter.
Mere hours earlier
On Friday morning Engel claimed he had not yet decided on his future with the party, after the issue of his potential re-election in April was raised by journalists. He said he would be guided by the national committee meeting, but he had not ruled out standing for a second term as party president, not wishing to let down his supporters. On several occasions, Engel reiterated his trust in the justice system, saying he did not want it to become a drawn out court case, but that from a legal standpoint he did not think he had done anything wrong. He accepted that he could have been more transparent regarding the contract with the non-profit at an earlier stage.
When questioned on his future within the CSV, it became clear that Engel felt some dissatisfaction with the way his presidency has unfolded. He said he felt he was no longer capable of uniting a divided party and did not wish to stand in the way of its achievements. It was evident that Engel felt the matter at hand should have been dealt with internally; however, he said he did not wish to file a complaint against the six MPs who reported him to the prosecutor.
Engel concluded by saying his resignation was more probable today than it had been a week ago. The brusque statement published this afternoon has underlined that conclusion.
