Cools' assassination accused sentenced

The trial resulting from Belgium's biggest political assassination ended with lighter-than-expected sentences for six men convicted in the killing of former Deputy Prime Minister Andre Cools, but the country has reacted with relief that the 12-year saga seemed to be over.

A jury set sentences of 20 years in jail for four men and five years for two others for the assassination, which roiled Belgian politics, sparked a bribery investigation and led to the resignation of a Nato secretary-general.

"Hopefully the verdict not only ends a murder case, but also an era where crime had a hand in politics," said a De Morgen editorial.