Acting Minister of Health Paulette Lenert has confirmed the presence of a conflict of interest at the National Health Laboratory (LNS), dating back to 2019.
During that time, an external consultant had a dual role, participating in writing a public tender while simultaneously assisting a company in shaping its bid for the same public contract. The consultant's involvement eventually resulted in the company being awarded an €800,000 contract. This revelation came to light through the online news website Reporter.lu during the summer.
As a result, the LNS initiated an internal inquiry, corroborating the information uncovered by the investigative journalist. In her response to a parliamentary question by MP Diane Adehm from the Christian Social People's Party (CSV), Minister Lenert stressed that the consultant had a responsibility to disclose his affiliations with the company from the outset.
In addition, Lenert disclosed that the LNS has been conducting ongoing structural assessments for the past year to detect and address potential conflicts of interest within the organisation.
