Lawsuits and resignations rock party ahead of European elections

Former General Secretary Gary Kneip, who has since been ousted from the party, has filed a lawsuit with the public prosecutor's office in Luxembourg City, alleging breach of correspondence secrecy. This development was confirmed by the public prosecutor's office to our colleagues from RTL.lu. The lawsuit targets several members of the party leadership, including President Marc Ruppert and Secretary General Anne Winter, though Party spokesperson Frank Engel remains unaffected.

Kneip's accusations centre on claims that portions of the party leadership intercepted and reviewed emails exchanged from or to party addresses through the IT system. Allegations arose during a National Committee meeting, implicating Kneip in making assertions related to emails circulated among various party members. In these emails, criticisms were levelled against the handling of party finances and Frank Engel's conduct toward dissenting party members. Marc Ruppert rebuffs claims of email interception and denounces Kneip's accusations.

However, Ruppert remains reticent to divulge specifics. "The executive office was unaware of Mr Kneip's system's capabilities, which I now find highly problematic in hindsight. I regret Mr Kneip's decision to implement such a system as Secretary General, as it fuels baseless allegations today," Ruppert remarked.

Ruppert declined to elaborate on how email content was transmitted to the party, citing the pending lawsuit, of which the party leadership remains officially uninformed. The public prosecutor's office indicates that no decision has been reached regarding the lawsuit's ramifications.

Ex-treasurer demands loan repayment

Meanwhile, former treasurer Jacques Linster, also expelled from the party, is demanding the immediate return of over €40,000 owed from a bank loan.

Linster expresses scepticism regarding the party's pledge to repay the loan incrementally. Since there is no guarantee, he would bear all of the financial risk, Linster noted.

Additionally, Linster claims that the amount FOKUS has been transferring to him since January would be exactly €2,688.48 less than what he has to pay the bank. The former party treasurer did not want to disclose the amount in question. He is now seeking legal recourse to retrieve his money.

Nomination of Monica Semedo "a disaster"

Party President Marc Ruppert expressed bewilderment at Linster's demand. Ruppert asserts that it would have been clear from the outset that FOKUS would not be able to repay the loan in question in one go since the state subsidies, to which it has been entitled following the results of the legislative elections, are paid on a monthly basis.

A letter of comfort, which was signed as part of the loan's finalisation and is available to RTL, does not specify how the money must be repaid, but only that repayment should start as soon as FOKUS begins receiving state subsidies.

Amidst internal strife, reports of party members departing surface, though Ruppert refutes these claims. However, it is confirmed that former Housing Fund president Daniel Miltgen has severed ties with FOKUS.

According to Miltgen, he did not get on with Frank Engel from the outset and a successive series of incidents eventually led to the end of the line for him. In particular, Miltgen mentioned the party's "disastrous" decision to nominate Luxembourg MEP Monica Semedo as one of its candidates ahead of the European elections, which he could not accept "because I know exactly what this person actually did."

Miltgen is also convinced that far more people have left FOKUS than the party leadership is admitting to publicly. He estimates that 30 to 40 people have left in recent months.