Nyborg Mayor Kenneth Muhs has been under investigation for nearly 18 months over allegations he failed to inform the city council about serious problems in the social services department. The case began in December 2023 when an external report revealed widespread issues including missed legal deadlines, lack of professional competence, and systematic failures in child protection cases.
Three opposition parties in the city council reported the mayor to the national appeals board. They alleged he violated his duty to inform other council members after learning about critical problems during a meeting with the municipal citizen advisor.
Nearly a year and a half later, the case remains unresolved. The appeals board confirmed it hasn't even assigned a caseworker yet. This delay has sparked frustration across political lines.
Venstre party group chairman Kaj Refslund called the situation completely unreasonable. He said the mayor faces significant pressure and the uncertainty casts shadows over their party.
The initial report documented alarming failures in Nyborg's social services. More than half of 379 child protection cases lacked legally required child interviews. A quarter of cases missed mandatory hearings with involved parties.
Between January and May 2024, the municipality submitted four statements to the Social and Housing Ministry about its social services practices. During this period, Nyborg also experienced two major data breaches where urgent child protection notifications ended up in dead inboxes and 913 emails got stuck in security filters.
It later emerged that Mayor Muhs knew about grave errors in social case processing as early as 2021 but didn't inform the full council. The Social and Housing Ministry described the conditions in Nyborg's reports as extremely criticizable and concerning.
The ministry transferred the case to the appeals board for assessment of potential supervisory action. In October 2025, the board decided against opening a formal supervision case, citing the municipality's claims of positive development.
Opposition politicians expressed disappointment that voters didn't get answers before local elections. SF's mayoral candidate Suzette Frovin said they spent endless time trying to clarify whether the mayor should have acted differently.
Conservative candidate Michael Gertsen called the case enormously principled. He said many citizens want to know if the mayor did something wrong, and the mayor doesn't deserve having accusations hanging over his head if he acted correctly.
Local government expert Roger Buch expressed surprise and concern that the case remains uncertain. He said the case touches the core of what's important for citizens and local democracy. If politicians cannot rely on receiving relevant information from the mayor, local democracy cannot function properly, he noted.
The appeals board declined interview requests but acknowledged increasing case volumes. Vice director Cathrine Due Billing said supervision cases have risen over 50% since 2018, with nearly 2,500 cases created by October 2025. They generally process oldest cases first while continuously prioritizing based on case character.
The prolonged investigation highlights systemic challenges in handling municipal misconduct cases while leaving both politicians and citizens in limbo about accountability and proper governance procedures.