Home Affairs Minister Léon Gloden has overturned another municipal council decision, this time annulling the appointment of a civil servant in Sandweiler over qualification concerns following a similar controversy in Hesperange involving allegations of nepotism.

On Wednesday, it was revealed that Minister for Home Affairs Léon Gloden has once again overturned a decision made by a municipal council. This follows a similar situation in Hesperange from about a month ago where the recruitment of a "communal pact coordinator" stirred up significant debate. In this latest case, the municipality of Sandweiler provisionally appointed a civil servant in career bracket one to its technical service team at the end of June, which Gloden has now annulled.

The position was intended for candidates with a Master's degree in architecture, urban planning, or regional development. However, the selected candidate, approved by the local majority of the Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party (LSAP) and the Democratic Party (DP), held a Master's degree in environmental planning and ecological engineering. This choice drew criticism from the Greens (Déi Gréng) in Sandweiler, who lodged a formal complaint with Minister Gloden, arguing that at least one candidate with the exact qualifications specified for the position was overlooked.

The minister eventually came to the conclusion that the selected candidate did not meet all the requirements and therefore cancelled the job offer at the beginning of August.

Conflict of interest in Hesperange

In the Hesperange case, Mayor Marc Lies had faced criticism from three opposition parties who alleged that the selected candidate was not only inadequately qualified, but also had family ties with the mayor, raising concerns about a potential conflict of interest. The situation was further complicated by alleged threats from Lies, who reportedly intimidated opposition councillors after a closed-door discussion about the nomination was made public.

While Lies dismissed the conflict of interest claim, he did agree with the opposition on the issue of qualifications and subsequently canceled the appointment.