The arrest of Clarissa La Porta in Rome A few days ago, a woman wanted by the Luxembourg authorities in connection with the Caritas scandal shed new light on the international scale of an investigation that has been involving prosecutors, police officers and judicial authorities across Europe for nearly two years. Her arrest comes as the Luxembourg government lifts the veil on the progress of the case this Wednesday, 17 June, following a parliamentary question tabled by Socialist MPs Taina Bofferding and Mars Di Bartolomeo.

In their question to the prime minister, Luc Frieden (CSV), and to the justice minister, Elisabeth Margue (CSV), the two elected representatives asked, in particular, what proportion of the misappropriated funds had been recovered and what the current status of the legal proceedings was. The government’s response gives an indication of the work carried out since the scandal broke in 2024.

According to information provided by the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the Luxembourg authorities have issued 81 European investigation orders or international letters rogatory to 14 European Union Member States and three third countries. Thirteen international arrest warrants have also been issued.

The government has also revealed that a specialist team from the economic/financial (Écofin) department of the judicial police is working exclusively on the case and that investigators have already produced 93 reports. On the legal front, the most striking figure relates to the number of people implicated. According to the response signed by Margue and Frieden, 11 people have been charged at this stage. Two further individuals have also been arrested abroad on the basis of Luxembourg international arrest warrants, though they have not yet been extradited or formally charged in the Grand Duchy.

Funds still frozen

This clarification is particularly relevant in light of Clarissa La Porta’s arrest in Italy. Whilst the Luxembourg authorities do not name any individuals in their parliamentary response, they had already confirmed in mid-June that two people wanted by the authorities had been apprehended abroad. However, the government remains extremely cautious on the issue of recovered assets. No figures have been disclosed. Ministers explain that funds are still frozen abroad and that only the outcome of the criminal proceedings will determine whether they can be definitively seized and subsequently confiscated.

Another important point to note is that sums already recovered cannot be redistributed. The funds identified in the course of the investigation remain subject to a court-ordered seizure. Any decision regarding their return or confiscation can only be taken once the proceedings have concluded and a final court ruling has been issued.

Nearly two years following the revelation that €61m had been embezzled, which led to the closure of Caritas Luxembourg and the takeover of a large part of its activities by HUT, the investigation therefore continues to extend well beyond the borders of the Grand Duchy. The arrest in Rome shows that the international ramifications of the case remain at the heart of the investigations. It also confirms that, despite the scale of the resources deployed and the numerous charges already brought, the authorities are still far from having brought to a close one of the biggest financial and charitable scandals in Luxembourg’s recent history.