Criticism of the chairperson of the Municipal Executive Committee in Haninge Municipality for, in contravention of the requirement for objectivity in the Instrument of Government, contacting a shop manager about a petition posted in the shop

Summary of the decision: The chairperson of a municipal executive committee emailed the manager of a shop concerning a petition posted on a noticeboard in the shop. The upshot of the correspondence was that the petition was to be taken down. The chairperson has stated that he sent the email in a private capacity.

The Parliamentary Ombudsman states that the chairperson holds an important position and that he can be assumed to be well-known in the municipality. When acting in a private capacity, it is therefore especially important that he ensures that his actions cannot be perceived in any other way.

The Parliamentary Ombudsman notes that the chairperson sent the email from his official email account during office hours, and that it concerned a matter of relevance to the municipality. The email contained no information or reservation that the chairperson was writing in a private capacity. The email must therefore be considered to have been sent in an official capacity. The purpose of the email cannot be understood in any way other than as an exhortation to take down the petition.

In the opinion of the Parliamentary Ombudsman, the chairperson acted inappropriately and in contravention of the requirement for objectivity in the Instrument of Government (SFS 1974:152), for which he is criticised.