ABSTRACT

The following description of the concept of ombudsmen is taken from a leading international reference work on the subject:

The ombudsman is an independent and non-partisan officer…often provided for in the Constitution, who supervises the administration. He deals with specific complaints from the public against administrative injustice and maladministration. He has the power to investigate, report upon, and make recommendations about individual cases and administrative procedures. He is not a judge or tribunal, and he has no power to make orders or to reverse administrative action. He seeks solutions to problems by a process of investigation and conciliation. His authority and influence derive from the fact that he is appointed by and reports to one of the principal organs of state, usually either the parliament or the chief executive.1