André H.P. Cools (; 1 August 1927 – 18 July 1991) was a Belgian politician and a senior figure within the Walloon

Socialist Party Socialist Party is the name of many different political parties around the world. All of these parties claim to uphold some form of socialism, though they may have very different interpretations of what "socialism" means. Statistically, most of th ...

(PS) in the

Liège Liège ( ; ; ; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality of Wallonia, and the capital of the Liège Province, province of Liège, Belgium. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east o ...

region. He was assassinated in 1991 and the subsequent investigation uncovered widespread graft within Belgium's two socialist parties.

Political career

Cools had a long and distinguished political career. He was the Belgian budget minister from 1968 to 1971, Deputy Prime Minister from 1969 to 1972, head of the Walloon section of the Belgian Parti Socialiste (PS) from 1973 to 1978, chairman of the national party from 1978 to 1981, president of the Walloon Council from 1982 to 1985, and minister of the government of the Walloon Region from 1988 to 1990. He was also given the honorific title of

Minister of State Minister of state is a designation for a government minister, with varying meanings in different jurisdictions. In a number of European countries, the title is given as an honorific conferring a higher rank, often bestowed upon senior minister ...

in 1983. In 1990 he retired from the national political scene after an internal power struggle within the PS but he remained influential in the local party in Liège. Cools was noted for his pithy pronouncements. For example, when in 1984 he commented on who he thought the four greatest United States presidents had been, he said: ' Roosevelt, Roosevelt, Roosevelt and Roosevelt'. His nickname was "''Le maître de Flémalle''" ("Master of Flémalle"). Cools had been mayor of from 1964 to 1977 and after the merger with Flémalle from 1977 until his death.

Death

Cools was shot and killed in

on 18 July 1991. He was 63 years old. While the police were investigating the assassination, several scandals involving André Cools became public (like the Agusta-affair).

Aftermath

In 2003, a Liège trial started, accusing Richard Taxquet (former personal chauffeur and secretary for , a Parti Socialiste minister), Giuseppe "Pino" di Mauro, and others of involvement in the Cools murder. In January 2004, Taxquet and di Mauro were sentenced to twenty years' imprisonment.Maesschalck and Van de Walle, 2006.

References

Works cited

Sources

André Cools

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cools, Andre 1927 births 1991 deaths Assassinated Belgian politicians Assassinated government ministers in Europe Ministers of state of Belgium Belgian Socialist Party politicians Deaths by firearm in Belgium Deputy prime ministers of Belgium Socialist Party (Belgium) politicians People from Flémalle People murdered in Belgium European politicians assassinated in the 1990s Walloon movement activists Terrorism deaths in Belgium Politicians assassinated in 1991