The members of parliament who were expecting precise answers on Monday 5 May as to how several tens of millions could have been transferred to foreign accounts were left wanting.
Both MPs (LSAP) and (déi Gréng) perceived a great deal of embarrassment in the explanations that the state savings bank Spuerkeess was kind enough to give about the disappearance of the millions of euros from Caritas. To each specific question, those in charge of the financial institution, led by its CEO , sidestepped the issue, taking refuge behind banking secrecy, the confidentiality of relations with customers and ongoing investigations, whether administrative or judicial, the MPs recount. “We remained in the realm of the hypothetical without ever giving detailed answers,” deplored the Green MP.
Spuerkeess officials detailed their internal compliance and risk management procedures with one key message: all the procedures put in place complied with best practice and legislation.
Caritas too big to be trusted
How is it possible to explain the disappearance of some ten million transferred to accounts unknown to the financial institution? Caritas had a good reputation. And Spuerkeess officials explain that being a player in the voluntary sector is a status that gives “a certain level of confidence.”
To the point of granting such large lines of credit? “The requests were justified by a cash shortfall due to the change of government, which led to a freeze on payments to Caritas in the name of the provisional twelfths system.” This was an argument brushed aside a few weeks ago by finance minister (CSV), who claimed that everything due to the NGO had been paid.
As for the payments, which were numerous and large over a short period of time and to accounts unknown to the bank, they were justified by the finance director by the aftermath of the earthquakes that had taken place in Turkey. “In the case of a fraud on the president, it is rare for the CFO to be the one in charge,” the bankers said, according to Bernard.
Thoma appeared firm, straight in her boots whilst showing towards the end of the session a certain empathy. She said that the situation affected her, as it did all the members of the bank, and said she was ready to help Caritas in its liquidation, in particular by showing flexibility in recovering the debts left by the association in the bank's books. But how? “It has remained vague on this point,” says Fayot.
When contacted, Spuerkeess did not wish to comment. On Wednesday, it will be BGL BNP Paribas’ turn to appear before the special commission.
The Caritas Luxembourg affair is a major financial scandal that came to light in July 2024, involving the within the Fondation Caritas Luxembourg (FCL), a Catholic humanitarian organisation working in the grand duchy and internationally. Between February and July 2024, a senior Caritas employee living on the Belgian border allegedly transferred around €28m from the organisation’s reserves to accounts in Spain, and then took out €33m in bank loans in the name of the foundation. These funds were dispersed via more than 8,200 transactions to hundreds of accounts abroad, according to the public prosecutor’s office.
A judicial investigation has been opened for forgery, fraud, breach of trust, computer fraud and money laundering. In January 2025, .
Caritas’ chief executive, Marc Crochet, resigned in January 2025, and other executives were dismissed. The foundation had to cease its international activities, putting an end to several humanitarian projects, and transferred its national social missions to a . The Luxembourg government has suspended its grants to the fcoundation, and Caritas continues to face significant debts, estimated at several million euros.
This article was originally published in .