Luxembourg’s spy chief has resigned amid unhealthy publicity on EU and Nato safety fails, in addition to prickly relations with the duchy’s new chief.
Doris Woltz’s resignation as director of the Service de Renseignement de l’État (SRE) was formally accepted on 16 November, in keeping with the nation’s authorized gazette.
She was leaving her submit after seven years as a result of her ”private intent to retire from public service”, in keeping with an SRE spokeswoman.
The transfer got here at some point after press articles about safety failures on her watch, prompting hypothesis a couple of potential hyperlink.
The SRE’s personal employees had alleged that Luxembourg was failing to guard EU and Nato secrets and techniques, EUobserver reported on 15 November.
A former Luxembourg minister additionally had clandestine ties to Russia, the Worldwide Consortium of Investigative Journalists ICIJ revealed the identical day.
However ”Ms Woltz’ private choice has no connection in any respect to any press associated actions,” the SRE informed EUobserver on Wednesday (23 November).
She had first talked about her plan to retire again in ”early November” and she or he was going with full honours, they mentioned.
”In gentle of her skilled deserves, the federal government has determined to confer the honorary title of her features on Ms Doris Woltz after she successfully retires [on 1 June 2024],” the SRE mentioned.
Her resignation was additionally accepted after her nemesis, Luxembourgish politician Luc Frieden, turned the duchy’s new prime minister, nevertheless.
And this was the extra probably purpose why Woltz felt her place was ”untenable,” some Luxembourg watchers mentioned.
Again in 2013, when Wolz was an investigating decide and Frieden was inside minister, she loudly accused him of obstructing a landmark case referred to as ”The Bommeleeër Affair”, resulting in a no-confidence vote in parliament.
”Luxembourg is a really small nation … Frieden was very offended about this. He by no means forgave her,” mentioned Finn Overdick, a Munich-based author on Luxembourg politics.
In the meantime, Woltz’s departure with full honours stands in distinction to her remedy of the SRE’s former trade-union president — Philippe Schaack.
Schaack served within the SRE for 16 years, however was ”dishonourably” discharged in 2022 after his union warned Luxembourg’s Western allies that the duchy was failing to correctly vet officers earlier than letting them learn secret EU and Nato information.
”The SRE is a revered member of the worldwide safety neighborhood”, the Luxembourg authorities earlier informed EUobserver in response to the allegation.
However that was not true, in keeping with some Western intelligence contacts.
”The SRE’s counterintelligence unit is doing little to combat Russian spy exercise,” one supply informed this web site.
And Wolz’s administration fashion made issues worse, Overdick famous.
Her ”poisonous management” led to ”disagreements with companion companies,” he mentioned.
”The People had been very a lot towards her, which led to severe tensions through the years. Because of this, the SRE is now excluded from quite a few data channels,” he added.