Last week, the report with findings by KPMG and NautaDutilh was published, regarding the actions of former ‘Technical Director’ Sven Mislintat. At least, the conclusions of the report were published. In fact, the report itself remained secret. And the conclusions were written by the Supervisory Board itself
The outcome is that Sven Mislintat cannot be blamed for any conflict of interest. Whether that is also the porté of the report we do not know, but it is the conclusion the SB drew.
Whether sufficient research was done to draw that conclusion, we do not know either. We do know, for instance, that former SB chairman Pier Eringa, chiefly responsible for supervision during the Mislintat period, was not questioned.
And we do know that the assignment to KPMG and Nauta was limited, which also limited the chance of critical conclusions, with damaging consequences for the SB, by the same SB.
Because if the person to be supervised (Mislintat) cannot be blamed, this also means that there was no material shortcoming in the supervision. Well so easy of course that conclusion, for the SB.
Everything points in the same direction
The limited scope of the investigation (only into Mislintat's actions, not into supervision), its non-publication, the limited questioning of key figures, it all points in one direction. A truly independent and in-depth investigation might well have been unfavourable to the SB.
And that impression is increasingly widely shared, with the Securities Owners Association the first to loudly criticise. It made the positions of these butchers, who not only judged their own meat but also put (former) incoming chief executive Alex Kroes through the mincer, all the more untenable.
And then there are the results on the pitch.... enough reasons to resign you would think. And so that's the conclusion SBs Annette Mosman, Georgette Schlick and Cees van Oevelen drew this weekend.
Back to Mislintat. Only a truly independent investigation can shed light on the (former) SB's actions regarding Mislintat. With a renewed SB, this is possible, but I doubt the bottom line will ever come out.
Because in my opinion, everyone at Ajax wants to forget the past 12 months as soon as possible.
