The investigation into complaints against former Department Head Arib must continue, even after he has left the House of Representatives. This is how Bergkamp, the current Speaker of the House of Representatives, argues in a letter to all MPs.
The House of Representatives has a duty to provide a safe working environment for employees. “With the departure of the previous Speaker of the House of Representatives, this responsibility has not disappeared,” writes Bergkamp on behalf of the Presidium, the governing body of the House of Representatives.
In the letter, he repeatedly emphasizes that this is an “illuminating investigation” with no legal conclusions. “There may also be a finding that the reports are inaccurate or incorrectly refer to Ms. Arib. Such a statement is also very important.”
However, the investigations can’t begin yet, as top officials in the House of Representatives resigned last Friday. The longest-serving police officer, Chancellor Simone Roos, has been officially mandated with the investigation. It was intended to appoint a “representative client” from outside the Chamber to remove any impression of a conflict of interest, but this has now stopped.
Bergkamp assumes that a solution to the registrar’s vacancy will be found in the short term. The letter says the presidency found it “painful” that the official leadership felt so little support.
great excitement
The bureau, which represents all major parties, decided to investigate after Arib received another anonymous complaint about his behavior towards authorities during his presidency.
This decision had great repercussions. Arib spoke of a “political comparison” with Bergkamp that he did not want to participate in and decided to resign from the parliament. Other lawmakers also expressed their shame at the way the Presidential Council, led by Bergkamp, worked. In a turbulent meeting, they called for the investigation to be stopped for the time being.
In response to all the excitement, senior chamber officials, including Minister Roos, announced their resignations last Friday. The chamber’s works council has also lost confidence in the political leadership as deputies, including those in the presidency, continue to leak the issue to the press.
In his letter, Bergkamp once again explains why the Hofmann detective agency’s investigations should continue despite only two (anonymous) reports being received against Arib.
These letters are not “snapshots” because there are already signs that an unsafe work environment will emerge. For example, in 2019, an officer wrote about this in his dismissal letter, and the company doctor had already addressed the issue.
Management not included in the application
Independence is guaranteed, as research is assigned to two externally authorized clients, according to the Steering Committee. “As official clients, the Presidency and the Chancellor are therefore in no way involved in the conduct of the investigation and do not give any instructions to externally commissioned clients.”
Bergkamp says he will not comment on his letter today. He will do so at the House Operations Committee meeting next Wednesday. He then asks lawmakers to support his approach to the investigation.
Source: NOS
John Cameron is a journalist at The Nation View specializing in world news and current events, particularly in international politics and diplomacy. With expertise in international relations, he covers a range of topics including conflicts, politics and economic trends.
