About this Episode
The Justice Ministry wants to speed up criminal trials in serious cases. The Government Council approved a bill creating an accelerated procedure for offences including drug trafficking, domestic violence and violent robberies. The reform was presented by Justice Minister Elisabeth Margue. It allows prosecutors to send cases directly to criminal court when evidence is already considered strong enough. This would avoid lengthy preliminary investigations in selected cases while the ministry says defence rights would remain protected. Suspects must be informed of the charges, have access to a lawyer and case file, and may request release. Parliament has yet to approve the bill.
The Green Party will see a change in parliament from October when MP Joëlle Welfring leaves her seat in the Chamber for her new task at the European Investment Bank. Welfring will become Special Advisor for Climate and Gender Equality Initiatives at the EIB. She previously served as environment minister and has represented the Greens in parliament for three years. Josée Lorsché will take over the seat. She is currently first alderwoman in Bettembourg and previously chaired the Greens’ parliamentary group. A Green seat on the Council of State is also set to open.
A former employee of the Luxembourg university is challenging his dismissal in court. The rectorate of the University removed Christos Koulovatianos as head of the FDEF finance department after the faculty dean resigned. The university’s lawyer said the mandate could be withdrawn at the rectorate’s discretion and justified his dismissal with the need to renew the department. Koulovatianos’ lawyer says his client flagged illegalities or irregularities at the university and argues Koulovatianos is being sanctioned as a whistleblower. The court’s decision is expected later this week.
A public petition is calling for Luxembourg’s housing situation to be declared a national emergency. The petition was launched by Olivier Cano on petitions.lu. It calls on the government and parliament to treat housing as a cross-government priority. Cano says faster action is needed before the end of last year. His proposals include a national tax on vacant homes, stricter rent caps and a national housing register. He also wants 1% of GDP invested each year in affordable housing. The petition needs 5,500 signatures to trigger a parliamentary debate.
