The lawyers of Nabil B., the main witness in the Marengo trial, believe that the OM CEO Gerrit van der Burg should resign. The reason is the damning report of the Dutch Safety Board last Wednesday. At Nieuwsuur, Van der Burg said on Wednesday evening that he does not intend to do so, but according to independent MP Nilüfer Gündoğan he would do well. “That report is devastating, so draw conclusions from it and make sure that the Public Prosecution Service will deliver better after this.”
In the Nieuwsuur broadcast, Van der Burg said that he does not consider resigning as an option in this difficult time. “When it comes to that ruthless environment of ruthless violence, the only answer that a government and the Public Prosecution Service can give is to continue stoically in combating it.”
It is precisely in that statement that lies a major sore point for Nabil B’s lawyers. Because ‘proceeding stoically’, that is exactly contrary to the conclusions that the investigation board drew in the report. Namely, that the focus has been too much on tracing and tackling serious criminals, and not enough on protecting and guarding people.
Responsibility
Independent Member of Parliament Nilüfer Gündoğan was also certainly not charmed by Van der Burg’s performance at Nieuwsuur. She also believes that his position as the highest boss of the Public Prosecution Service is no longer tenable. “He comes across as uniting himself with the Public Prosecution Service. That’s very scary, when people see themselves as the institution. Cleaning and improvement must take place in the Public Prosecution Service, because it has failed well on this file. Then take your responsibility, show that you are serving the organization and not necessarily leading and determining. Make yourself smaller, push your ego away. That report is devastating, so draw conclusions from it and make sure that the Public Prosecution Service will deliver better after this.’
According to Don Ceder, member of the House of Representatives on behalf of the ChristenUnie and also a lawyer, it is now first and foremost a matter for the House of Representatives to call the minister to account for the report. “Stitches have fallen and that hurts a lot. The report is intense, it is still fresh off the press, so I think we should have that debate in the House. And if you keep it straight, you should actually have that debate with the Minister of Security and Justice, and not with the top man of the Public Prosecution Service.’
