Ivo Opstelten
Ivo Opstelten | |
---|---|
Minister of Security and Justice | |
In office 14 October 2010 – 10 March 2015 | |
Prime Minister | Mark Rutte |
Preceded by | Ernst Hirsch Ballin as Minister of Justice |
Succeeded by | Stef Blok (Ad interim) |
Chairman of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy | |
In office 23 May 2008 – 14 October 2010 | |
Leader | Mark Rutte |
Preceded by | Jan van Zanen |
Succeeded by | Benk Korthals |
Mayor of Tilburg | |
In office 4 November 2009 – 16 July 2010 Ad interim | |
Preceded by | Ruud Vreeman |
Succeeded by | Peter Noordanus |
Mayor of Rotterdam | |
In office 16 February 1999 – 1 January 2009 | |
Preceded by | Bram Peper |
Succeeded by | Ahmed Aboutaleb |
Mayor of Utrecht | |
In office 1 November 1992 – 16 February 1999 | |
Preceded by | Lien Vos-van Gortel |
Succeeded by | Annie Brouwer-Korf |
Mayor of Beerta | |
In office 1 December 1983 – 1 March 1984 Ad interim | |
Preceded by | Hanneke Jagersma |
Succeeded by | Hanneke Jagersma |
Mayor of Delfzijl | |
In office 1 December 1980 – 1 September 1987 | |
Preceded by | Paul Scholten |
Succeeded by | Ed Haaksman |
Mayor of Doorn | |
In office 1 October 1977 – 1 December 1980 | |
Preceded by | Anton van Harinxma thoe Slooten |
Succeeded by | Henk Goudsmit |
Mayor of Dalen | |
In office 26 August 1972 – 1 October 1977 | |
Preceded by | Frits Fontein |
Succeeded by | Joost Hoffscholte |
Personal details | |
Born | Ivo Willem Opstelten 31 January 1944 Rotterdam, Netherlands |
Political party | People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (since 1966) |
Spouse |
Mariette Dutilh (m. 1970) |
Children | 4 daughters |
Residence(s) | Rotterdam, Netherlands |
Alma mater | Leiden University (Bachelor of Laws, Master of Laws) |
Occupation | Politician · Civil servant · Jurist · Nonprofit director · Television presenter |
Ivo Willem Opstelten (born 31 January 1944) is a retired Dutch politician and jurist. He is a member of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD).
Opstelten applied at
After the
Biography
Early life
Opstelten studied law at Leiden University, where he specialised in constitutional and public law. He graduated in 1969 and worked from 1970 to 1972 at the municipality of Vlaardingen before starting a long-term career as mayor.
Politics
In 1972 Opstelten began as Mayor of Dalen, at the age of 28 the youngest Mayor of the Netherlands. In 1977 he became Mayor of Doorn. In 1980 he became the Mayor of Delfzijl. In 1983 he became Acting Mayor of Beerta for four months because of the pregnancy of Mayor Hanneke Jagersma. In 1992 he made the switch to the fourth largest
On 4 August 2010
During his tenure as Minister of Security and Justice, Opstelten was the driving force behind the closure of the majority of The Netherlands' coffeeshops and growshops effectively ending the successful 1970's instituted experiment where soft drugs were tolerated and separated from the hard drugs market. Affiliated with the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) party, Opstelten also imposed many restrictions on the legal and regulated prostitution business in the Netherlands also driving a portion of that business underground.[5]
In the week after his resignation from office, he was interviewed about the increased use of heavy firearms by criminals. He said that maybe in the past firearms didn't have the attention of the authorities, but now they rose to the challenge and he was on it. In reality he had quietly disbanded the task force on heavy weapons two months earlier.[6]
Resignation from office
On 10 March 2015 Opstelten, along with State Secretary Fred Teeven resigned after it was discovered that Teeven, then chief public prosecutor authorized the return of 4.7 million guilders to convicted drugs dealer Cees H. in 2000, without the knowledge of his superior or the tax office.
Throughout 2014, questions had been asked about this drugs deal. Opstelten consistently told parliament that the deal was for 2 million guilders and that they should trust him on that. On 4 March news show Nieuwsuur uncovered evidence that it was actually 4.7 million guilders. Cees H. confirmed this and stated that he did not do the justice department any favor in return, such as testifying. During a press conference on 9 March, Opstelten admitted that convicted drugs baron Cees H. had been paid 4.7 million guilders, not the two million guilders he had consistently told parliament.[7] The next day he resigned. Other politicians were disappointed that he left many questions unanswered by resigning, such as how he could not know the amount despite the deal being orchestrated by his own deputy minister and why the tax service was not involved in the deal.[8]
Preceding the affair which resulted in his resignation, Opstelten was already often accused of not knowing the facts during debates and having difficulty finding words in other cases.[9]
Personal
Ivo Opstelten is married to Mariette Dutilh (born 1945) and they have four children.
Decorations
Honours | ||||
Ribbon bar | Honour | Country | Date | Comment |
---|---|---|---|---|
Officer of the Order of Orange-Nassau | Netherlands | 29 April 2004 | ||
Awards | ||||
Ribbon bar | Awards | Organization | Date | Comment |
Honorary Member | People's Party for Freedom and Democracy |
29 May 2015 |
References
- ^ (in Dutch) Ivo Opstelten benoemd tot informateur Archived 2014-07-26 at the Wayback Machine, NRC, 5 August 2010
- ^ (in Dutch) Koningin benoemt Tjeenk Willink weer tot informateur Archived 2011-12-19 at the Wayback Machine, Elsevier, 7 September 2010
- ^ (in Dutch) De complete persconferentie van informateur Opstelten Archived 2012-10-17 at the Wayback Machine, NOS, 13 September 2010
- ^ (in Dutch) Ivo Opstelten (VVD) over zijn ministerspost Archived 2012-10-15 at the Wayback Machine, NOS, 8 October 2010
- ^ (in English) Dutch justice minister, deputy resign over drugs dealer cash deal, DutchNews, 9 March 2015
- ^ "On firearms in The Netherlands, segment on Opstelten starts around 21:10". NPO. Brandpunt. Retrieved 16 March 2015.
- ^ "Timeline Exit Opstelten". Nos.nl. NOS. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
- ^ "Parliament Understands Deal". Nos.nl. NOS. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
- ^ "Nieuwsuur Mar 10 (section about Opstelten not knowing the facts is at 16:00)". Nos.nl. NOS. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
External links
- Official
- (in Dutch) Mr. I.W. (Ivo) Opstelten Parlement & Politiek