The ongoing issue surrounding the leak of damaging information about former Speaker of the House Khadija Arib is casting a shadow over the House of Representatives. The presidium is currently deliberating whether to request the Supreme Court to investigate the potential involvement of politicians in the leak.

The request follows a recent court case where a senior civil servant was acquitted of leaking confidential information about Arib to NRC Media in 2022. The judge suggested that political rivals may have been responsible and that the Supreme Court is the appropriate body to investigate politicians.

The Public Prosecution Service suspects that senior civil servants leaked information about anonymous complaints of transgressive behavior by Arib, prompting an official investigation. The leak, which later proved partly untrue, led to Arib’s departure from the political scene.

An emergency meeting was held by the presidium to discuss the possibility of involving the Supreme Court. After several hours of deliberation, the presidium did not reach a decision and will continue discussions later this week.

Speaker of the House Martin Bosma and PVV MP Gidi Markuszower declined to comment on the matter. A decision to involve the Supreme Court in investigating politicians would be unprecedented in Dutch parliamentary history.