Marc Verwilghen

Marc Ernest Elisabeth Robert Juliette Verwilghen (born September 21, 1952 in Dendermonde ) is a Belgian lawyer and politician of the Open Vlaamse Liberalen en Democrats (Open VLD). Verwilghen was a long-time parliamentarian and from 1999 to 2007 minister of the federal government. He achieved particular fame by leading the parliamentary committee on the Dutroux affair . At the local level, Verwilghen was a councilor and lay judge in Dendermonde. In 2010, Verwilghen retired from politics.

Life

Marc Verwilghen studied law at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) and the University of Ghent (RUG) and worked as a lawyer from 1975.

He first got into politics at the municipal level, where he met in the Dendermonde municipal council from 1982 to 2000 and held a lay judge's office there from 1994 to 1999.

He was elected to the Chamber of Deputies in 1991, where he initially sat in opposition with the VLD for a few years. He was head of the Judiciary Committee and from 1996 to 1998 headed the parliamentary committee of inquiry which dealt with the events surrounding the convicted child molester Marc Dutroux and the co-defendant Michel Nihoul .

When the VLD won the federal and government elections in 1999, Verwilghen was appointed Minister of Justice in the federal government under Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt (VLD). In the government that followed, he was initially given the responsibility for development cooperation and, from 2004, after Fientje Moerman (VLD) moved to the Flemish government, he was responsible for the areas of economy, energy, foreign trade and science policy.

After the federal elections on June 10, 2007 and the defeat of the Liberals, Verwilghen no longer received a ministerial post in the Verhofstadt III government and has since served as a simple senator .

In 2010, Verwilghen withdrew completely from politics and from then on worked as legal advisor for the British - Iraqi billionaire and businessman Nadhmi Auchi .

Awards

Marc Verwilghen is in command of the Leopold Order . In 1999 he received an honorary doctorate from the University of Ghent and in 2001 the honorary professorship from the Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo .

Overview of political offices

• 1982–2000: Member of the Dendermonde parish council
• 1991–1999: Member of the Chamber of Deputies
• 1992–1995: Member of the Flemish Council
• 1994–1999: Aldermen in Dendermonde
• 1999–2003: Senator (partially prevented)
• 1999–2003: Federal Minister of Justice in the Verhofstadt I government
• 2003–2007: Member of the Chamber of Deputies (partially prevented)
• 2003–2004: Federal Minister for Development Cooperation in the Verhofstadt II government
• 2004–2007: Federal Minister for Economic Affairs, Energy, Foreign Trade and Science Policy in the Verhofstadt II government
• 2007-2010: Senator

Web links

• Official website of Marc Verwilghen
• Marc Verwilghen's profile on the Open VLD website

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Lalibre.be: Le job sulfureux de Marc Verwilghen (April 6, 2013) (French).