The complainant, a journalist, asked the European Parliament to grant public access to information on its financial contribution to a voluntary pension fund availed of by some Members of the European Parliament (MEPs). The Parliament identified a 2022 management report as falling under the scope of the request but refused access. In doing so, the Parliament invoked an exception under the EU legislation on public access to documents, arguing that disclosure could undermine the commercial interests of the private company responsible for the fund.

The Ombudsman opened an inquiry and sought to inspect the document in question.