Politis

Donors of the First Lady's Fund Will Remain in the Dark: No Investigation into Potential Collusion

Published January 28, 2026, 05:14
Donors of the First Lady's Fund Will Remain in the Dark: No Investigation into Potential Collusion

The Legal Service of the Parliament has blocked the parliamentary investigation into the Fund of the Social Support Agency, resulting in the names of the private donors who contributed a total of €6.4 million during the First Lady's term, Philippa Karsera, remaining undisclosed. The opinion is based on GDPR and case law, arguing that the disclosure of information could lead to administrative penalties. Therefore, the nominal list of donors will not be submitted to the Parliament, but could be replaced with their initials and classified as confidential, provided the Parliament adequately justifies its request. This decision leaves potential cases of collusion and favors to donors from the Presidential Palace in the dark, suspicions that were raised after the Auditor General's report on the Social Support Agency. The majority of parties appear to have identified the fund with phenomena of collusion, while the Agency may be abolished. The Parliament, through the Institutions Committee, had requested the nominal list of donors for the period 2020-2025, as well as the number of anonymous donations, in order to investigate potential conflicts of interest. However, the Legal Service's opinion makes this investigation virtually impossible. The use of only the initials of the donors' names will not allow Members of Parliament to investigate potential conflicts of interest or determine whether any favors were granted. This case highlights problems of transparency and accountability in the management of the fund's resources and exacerbates concerns about potential collusion.