The museum’s journey has already been a turbulent one. The original site had to be abandoned and costs have risen sharply: the project began at €16 million but is now approaching double that. MP and Esch councillor Liz Braz of the Luxembourg Socialist Workers’ Party (LSAP) criticised what she described as irresponsible handling of public money and procedures. She argued that the Ministry responsible had failed to comply with public procurement legislation.
According to Braz, procurement rules apply at both national and EU level, yet even a €170,000 feasibility study was apparently awarded directly to the same developer later tasked with carrying out the project. She said this should have been publicly tendered and therefore raises concerns about a conflict of interest.
Braz also criticised a convention granting the developer, IKO Real Estate, exclusive rights over the project. In her view, this forced the Ministry of Finance to step in and buy the finished infrastructure and prevented other companies from competing, potentially at a lower cost. While Braz said she supports the idea of a sports museum in Esch, she argued that this particular project had been tailored for one single developer. She stopped short of accusing the government of favouritism, saying instead Sports Minister Georges Mischo had likely been poorly advised and had rushed the process without fully understanding the procedures required.
Braz further suggested that Mischo was trying to shift attention away from the fact that the project had stalled during his previous role as Esch mayor. Mischo strongly rejected all these claims. He reiterated points he has consistently made in parliamentary replies: namely that the former turbine hall is a perfectly suitable site and that there are not “a hundred other” alternatives in the country.
He also insisted that no tendering process was required, citing similar cases in Luxembourg’s sports infrastructure where no call for candidates had been issued. He added that the initial project launched under former Sports Minister Dan Kersch had likewise not gone through a tender procedure.
Mischo stressed that the Finance Ministry has not yet purchased the building, even if acquisition procedures are moving forward. He also stated that no money had been paid for the feasibility study and that future renovation works would, in any case, be carried out under public procurement rules.
He emphasised that all steps had been fully compliant and that documentation had been shared transparently. Mischo stressed he had “no guilty conscience” and would be saddened if the project were undermined by what he sees as political manoeuvring from Braz on a project located in her own municipality.
Braz, however, is not letting the matter drop. She intends to ask the Chamber’s budget execution committee to request a formal investigation by the Court of Auditors. The LSAP parliamentary group has already submitted a request to place the issue on the committee’s agenda, and Braz hopes to secure cross-party support.
