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University of Luxembourg in court over dismissal of finance department head

The rectorate of the University of Luxembourg is facing a legal challenge from Christos Koulovatianos, former head of the FDEF finance department, whose lawyer says his client is being sanctioned for flagging irregularities.

After the dean of the Faculty of Law, Economics and Finance (FDEF) at the University of Luxembourg resigned at the end of April, the rectorate removed the head of the finance department, Christos Koulovatianos, from his post. That decision was the subject of an administrative appeal on Friday.
Surprising details emerged beyond the argument over whether the court had jurisdiction at all, given that staff hold private-law contracts while working for a public institution. The real intrigue was over the grounds for Koulovatianos' dismissal. Romain Adam, the university's lawyer, told reporters after the hearing that the university had the right to withdraw the department head's mandate ad nutum – at its own discretion.

That means, Adam explained, that if the rectorate takes the view that the person is no longer the right fit, it can withdraw the mandate. In Koulovatianos' case, he emphasised, the university had nothing to hold against him directly. The point, he said, was that with the dean's post now vacant, the rectorate believed a new head of department should also be chosen, in order to achieve genuine renewal across the department as a whole.

A loss of confidence, he added, was sufficient grounds for such a decision, and no specific reason needed to be given. During the hearing itself, however, alongside the loss of confidence and the argument about organisational renewal, Adam also mentioned that the University had observed that the professor in question had been regularly speaking to the press.

Also today

• Finance Minister Gilles Roth has rejected alarm over IMF projections for Luxembourg's debt and deficit, arguing that the country's finances remain robust.
• Greens MP Joëlle Welfring is giving up her parliamentary seat to join the European Investment Bank, with Josée Lorsché taking her place in the Chamber.
• Health Minister Martine Deprez says Luxembourg must improve heat protection in hospitals and other public buildings after the recent heatwave exposed weaknesses in cooling and insulation.
• British politician Nigel Farage is facing mounting pressure over alleged undeclared financial support.
• Indonesia and Singapore have vowed that the Strait of Malacca, a critical oil transit chokepoint in the region, will remain "accessible".
• Russia fired missiles and drones into apartment buildings in Kyiv for the second time in a week on Monday, killing at least 18 people on the eve of a crucial NATO summit, authorities said.

On air

It's only another ticket giveaway, this time to the Katy Perry Luxexpo gig. And of course we had to discuss the England win over Mexico... although Tom will be supporting Norway... which is disappointing.

Figure of the day

Microsoft said today it would eliminate about 4,800 jobs -- roughly two percent of its global workforce -- in a cost-cutting move that will deliver a sweeping restructuring of its struggling Xbox gaming division

• The cuts include the deepest overhaul in Xbox's history, with approximately 3,200 gaming jobs to be shed over the coming fiscal year, four game studios being spun off or sold, and a fifth entering a review process that could lead to closure, the company said.
• The announcement is the latest in a string of mass layoffs by the technology giant as it spends massive amounts of money to stay in the artificial intelligence race, with companies investing tens of billions of dollars in AI-ready data centers and computing power.

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