The presidium of the House of Representatives will not conduct any further investigation into the leaking of a confidential investigation into former chair Khadija Arib. In a letter, the House Board outlines that two former employees fell short in the entire matter.
In 2022, the board of the House of Representatives decided to launch an investigation into the behavior of former House Speaker Khadija Arib. That intention was shared with journalists from NRC before Arib herself was informed.
The spokesperson for Arib’s successor, Vera Bergkamp, was on trial for the leak. But according to the judge, it cannot be proven that she shared the still confidential news with the NRC journalists. But it is beyond doubt that there was a leak from the presidium.
During that trial, more and more details emerged about how Bergkamp may have been involved. For example, Follow the Money and Nieuwsuur wrote that Bergkamp, among other things, deleted the apps she sent to K.
Therefore, former presidium member Gidi Markuszower (PVV) requested an investigation into the state of affairs. That is not happening now.
According to the presidium, that is not “the right way”. A new investigation will not produce any new facts, according to the House Board.
‘Painful observation’
It is still unknown who exactly leaked the information about the investigation to the press. But in an extensive letter to the House, the presidium provides more information about the way in which two former senior officials acted.
It concerns the then-clerk (the highest House official) and the former director of housing. They also came forward in the trial.
For example, the former director of housing was behind one of the anonymous letters that led to the investigation. He also knew that the NRC was working on a story about the working atmosphere in the presidium and had also had contact about it. The former clerk was aware of this.
That information was not shared with the rest of the presidium. The former senior officials fell short in this, writes the House Board. They also call it “a painful observation, since the relationship between Clerk and Presidium is based on trust that relevant information is shared”.
The presidium has requested a conversation with the two former employees, but that will not take place in the short term. The former clerk has indicated that this is not possible due to private circumstances, and the former director does not want to as long as the process has not been fully completed.
In the letter, nothing is said about a possible role for former House Speaker Bergkamp. A spokesperson for the presidium cannot say anything about that now.
Her possible role will certainly be discussed during the debates that the House of Representatives will hold on the matter. An annual debate will already take place on Monday about the governance of the House of Representatives.
But the House will also debate the matter in detail at a later time. That debate was requested by former presidium member Markuszower. He was so dissatisfied with the state of affairs that he stepped out of the House Board and requested a debate.
The House can still request such an investigation. Markuszower also emphasizes this in a response on X. “At the debate that we will hold as soon as possible, we as PVV will argue for full transparency and a thorough investigation into this stinking cover-up!”
And the investigation into Arib herself?
The investigation into Khadija Arib was launched after anonymous complaints about transgressive behavior during her chairmanship between 2016 and 2021. Arib herself spoke of an “anonymous stab in the back”.
In 2023, a summary of the investigation was published. Not all anonymous complaints were confirmed in it.
Arib also doubted whether the presidium even had the right to launch the investigation on the basis of those anonymous complaints. The judge ruled in February that this was allowed.