Paul Vanden Boeynants
Paul Vanden Boeynants | |
---|---|
Prime Minister of Belgium | |
In office 20 October 1978 – 3 March 1979 | |
Monarch | Baudouin |
Preceded by | Leo Tindemans |
Succeeded by | Wilfried Martens |
In office 19 March 1966 – 17 June 1968 | |
Monarch | Baudouin |
Preceded by | Pierre Harmel |
Succeeded by | Gaston Eyskens |
Minister of Defense | |
In office 1972–1979 | |
Prime Minister | Gaston Eyskens Edmond Leburton Leo Tindemans |
Preceded by | Paul Willem Segers |
Succeeded by | José Desmarets |
Personal details | |
Born | Humanist Democratic Centre | 22 May 1919
Paul Emile François Henri Vanden Boeynants (Dutch: [ˈpʌul vɑndə(m)ˈbœynɑnts], French: [pɔl vandən bujnants]; 22 May 1919 – 9 January 2001) was a Belgian politician.[1] He served as the prime minister of Belgium for two brief periods (1966–68 and 1978–79).[1]
Career
Vanden Boeynants (called "VDB" by journalists) was born in
In 1966, he became Prime Minister of Belgium; he stayed in this post for two years. From 1972-1979 he served as minister of defense. In 1978–1979 he led another Belgian government. Vanden Boeynants then served as chairman of the PSC (1979-1981). He left politics in 1995, and died in 2001.
One of his famous expressions, in a unique mixture of Dutch and French, was: Trop is te veel en te veel is trop. ("too many is too much and too much is too many").[2]
Fraud
Convicted in 1986 for fraud and tax evasion, Vanden Boeynants was given a suspended jail sentence of three years.[2] This prevented him from pursuing mayoral aspirations in Brussels. He underwent a political rehabilitation during the early 1990s.
Kidnapping
In an incident that is still the subject of dispute, Vanden Boeynants was kidnapped on 14 January 1989 by members of the Haemers criminal gang.[3] Three days later, the criminals published a note in the leading Brussels newspaper Le Soir, demanding 30 million Belgian francs in ransom. Vanden Boeynants was released unharmed a month later, on 13 February, when an undisclosed ransom was paid to the perpetrators. The gang members were caught and imprisoned. Patrick Haemers, the head of the gang, died from suicide in prison,[4] and two members of his gang managed to escape from the St Gillis Prison in 1993.
In popular culture
The kidnapping was referenced in a 1989
Honours
- Belgium: Minister of State, by Royal Decree.[9]
- Grand Cordon in the Order of Leopold.[9]
- Knight Grand Cross in the Order of Leopold II.[9]
- Order of Saints Michael and George.[9]
- Grand Officer in the Legion of Honour.[9]
Literature
- N. Hirson, Paul Vanden Boeynants, Brussels, 1969.
- Paul Debogne, Les Amis de Paul Vanden Boeynants et leurs Affaires, Ed. Vie Ouvrière, Brussel, 1970.
- R. Stuyck, Paul Vanden Boeynants, boeman of supermen?, Brussels, 1973.
- Els Cleemput & Alain Guillaume, La rançon d'une vie. Paul Vanden Boeynants 30 jours aux mains de Patrick Haemers, Brussels, 1990.
- D. Ilegems & J. Willems, De avonturen van VDB, Brussels, 1991.
- P. Havaux & P. Marlet, Sur la piste du crocodile, Brussels, 1994.
- Armand De Decker, In memoriam Paul Vanden Boeynants, Belgian Senate, 18 January 2001.
References
- ^ a b January 2001. Rulers. Retrieved 30 August 2014.
- ^ a b "In memoriam", De Standaard, 9 January 2001
- ^ Dick Leonard (16 January 2001) Paul Vanden Boeynants. The Independent, Retrieved 3 April 2011
- ^ Death sentence for gangsters. The Independent, 30 January 1994, Retrieved 3 April 2011
- ^ "'Qui..?' van Brussels Sound Revolution". Het Laatste Nieuws.
- ^ Grommen, Door: Stefan. "25 jaar geleden werd 'VDB' ontvoerd: Gemarchandeerd zoals op de beestenmarkt".
- ^ "Brussels Sound Revolution's 'Qui...?' - Discover the Sample Source". www.whosampled.com.
- ^ "Radio2 Top 30 Artiest: B.s.r. (Brussels Sound Revolution) | Radio2". Archived from the original on 12 March 2017. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
- ^ a b c d e "VAN DEN BOEYNANTS". www.ars-moriendi.be.