As Justice Minister he had, according to David Canter, "encouraged the early release of many sex offenders" which included Marc Dutroux, a convicted child molester and subsequent serial killer.[4] This particular release resulted in the European Parliament calling for his resignation as an ECJ judge in 1997.[5] The European Parliament does not have the right to appoint ECJ judges, and it was the first time that it attempted to influence their selection.[6]