Koolman was born on 15 April 1942 in
Aruba. He studied law, and in 1966 became a civil servant in the taxation office. Koolman was a member of the commission which prepared the
status aparte of Aruba in which the island became a constituent country within the
Kingdom of the Netherlands. In 1986 he started working as an inspector of customs and excise. On 29 January 1992, he became
governor of Aruba and served until 11 August 2004. Following his swearing in, Koolman stressed the importance of human rights, protection of the environment, and prosecution of the war against drug trafficking as his main goals. In late 1998 to 1999, a dispute arose over whether candidate minister
Glenbert Croes, the head of the opposition party
Aruban Liberal Organization, could become a minister in his cabinet. Koolman refused the appointment because Croes was the subject of a criminal investigation on fraud. Since April 2004 he has created a foundation under his name, which was later included in the
Paradise Papers. ==References==