BELGIUM: Vindicated

Handsome, vehement, unscrupulous Leon Degrelle, whose Rexist Party in Belgium spells Fascism, failed utterly last week to make his recent charges of corruption against popular, democratic and sorely tried Premier Paul van Zeeland stick. After examining the mud slung (TIME, Sept. 13), the Senate upheld Professor van Zeeland 121-to-6 and the Chamber, vindicating him 130-to-34, hailed his “integrity and disinterestedness.” In agreeing that van Zeeland had a perfect right to receive $11,250 from the Bank of Belgium as a “bonus” for work he did before becoming Premier, Belgium’s legislators sharply indicated that the Bank’s statutes must be changed to make such bonuses impossible hereafter. Alone were Rexist newsorgans in screaming that in freely testifying he had received $11,250 the Premier had made an “AVOWAL OF DISHONESTY!”