Willy Claes Politician
Willem Werner Hubert "Willy" Claes (Dutch: [ˈʋɪli klaːs]; born 24 November 1938) is a former Belgian politician who served as the eighth Secretary General of NATO, from 1994 to 1995. Claes was a member of the Flemish Socialist Party.Claes was born in Hasselt, Belgium. He graduated in political and diplomatic sciences at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB).Willy Claes began his political career in the Hasselt city council. In 1968, he was elected to the national parliament. In 1972, he entered the cabinet for the first time as minister of education. Between 1973 and 1992, he was minister of economic affairs of Belgium three separate times. He also served as deputy prime minister five times, and was an important negotiator in the formation of coalition governments during the 1980s.Claes was Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1992 until 1994, and secretary general of NATO from 1994 until 1995, when he resigned after the discovery of a bribe of over 50 million Belgian francs that was accepted during contract negotiations with Agusta helicopters during the time he was minister of economic affairs. A criminal trial was handled by the Court of Cassation, which is responsible for cases involving minister in function. Claes received a 60000.-BEF fine, a 3-year probationary sentence and a 5-year prohibition on running for public office. An appeal at the Court of Justice of the European Union resulted in the confirmation of the Belgian sentence.
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Office holder
| office | Leader of the Party of European Socialists Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization |
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