Amsterdam mayor clashing with Ombudsman over critical report on city's integrity dept.

Mayor Femke Halsema has interfered with a highly critical report from the Amsterdam Ombudsman on the city’s Integrity Office, sources told the Telegraaf. The independent watchdog ended up not publishing his report at the last minute.

According to the newspaper, the report titled “Reporting with Confidence” by Amsterdam Obudsman Munish Ramlal found much amiss at the Integrity Office, the department responsible for addressing abuses within Amsterdam’s civil service. He described widespread discrimination and undesirable behavior, often from managers, and raised concerns about a high absenteeism rate among employees.

“The ombudsman believes that reports concerning social integrity are currently not in the right hands at the Integrity Office,” the ombudsman concluded. He recommended a “completely different, drastic approach and commitment.” The report was scheduled to be published at the end of September, but it never materialized.

Various stakeholders told the Telegraaf that the non-release of the ombudsman’s report was accompanied by a great deal of commotion. On September 15, Ramlal sent the report to the mayor, who is responsible for the Integrity Office. Three days later, there was a meeting between Halsema, Ramlal, and several other officials. Halsema made it clear that she disagreed with the research methodology. According to the sources, she called the report unscientific and shoddy and urged the ombudsman to retract it.

Halsema also informed the presidium, the executive board of the Amsterdam city council. The mayor doesn’t often attend presidium meetings, but she did on September 22 and reiterated her criticism of the ombudsman’s report and working methods. Two days later, Ramlal withdrew the report, saying that it “wasn’t ready.”

On September 25, Ramlal met with Halsema again. Ramlal maintained his intention to issue a revised report on the Integrity Office based on the investigation conducted. The mayor remained of the opinion that the investigation method was flawed. They were at a stalemate, the newspaper’s sources said. On October 7, Ramlal sent a letter to the city council saying that he needed more time with the report.

The Ombudsman declined to comment to the Telegraaf.

A spokesperson for Halsema told the newspaper that the mayor “indeed expressed concerns about the quality of the investigation” during the September 18 meeting. “These included a lack of clarity regarding the methodology used, including the lack of a clear investigation design, protocols, and the right to respond,” she said. “In that meeting, the mayor emphasized the ombudsman’s independent responsibility.”

“The municipality of Amsterdam desperately needs a well-functioning, independent ombudsman,” the spokesperson said. The mayor is “well aware of the importance of this” and is therefore “not issuing any instructions to the ombudsman.”

According to the Telegraaf, several officials are concerned that the ombudsman is being pressured and wonder if there is still room for criticism in the city government.