Greed and Corruption

Let's face it, greed and corruption are endemic in many societies.  Even within societies for which those two elements are forbidden by law, unlike those where it is almost written into the law.  Countries like Afghanistan, and India and others where to get anything done one is expected to pay a bribe.  No bribe no benefit.  In countries that hold themselves to a higher ethical standard, those who allow themselves to break the law are held to account.

But sometimes it's not quite as cut-and-dried as that.  Sometimes there are accusations of corruption when none exists. When such charges are used as a political tool, a practise which in itself is corrupt and inimical to the well-being of society.  Take Russia, for example, where corruption does indeed take place on a grand scale, and usually practised by the government itself.

Russian investigators from the Investigative Comnmittee, an arm of the government, have accused Alexei Navalny the Kremlin's major opposition leader, of embezzling $1.7-million.  That accusation just happened to come the day before his planned street protest in Moscow against the regime.  What a coincidence.  A charge that could put him out of commission, how handy.

He has been the spearhead of the mass rallies that so perturbed President Putin, over his authoritarian rule.  His brother, Oleg, has been charged as well of having defrauded a transport company out of $1.6-million.  To which charge Mr. Navalny responded that the accusation was "total gibberish", posting a photo of his brother with an infant in arms, within a modest apartment.

"Dropped in on my brother to see how things were and to see if he's hiding 55million roubles in his five-square metre kitchen."  A week after Alexei Navalny published documents on his blog that Alexander Bastrykin, the Investigative Conmmittee head, a Putin ally, concealed his ownership of property in the Czech Republic from Russian officials, the charge of embezzlement was brought against him.

In Canada, there are the cascading resignations of Quebec mayors, one after the other charged with fraud.  Only when Quebec's anti-corruption squad goes to town to press charges and make arrests they do so with evidence in hand.  The latest to fall after a number of other mayors, including Montreal's, has been Mayor Michel Lavoie of Saint-Remi 30 kilometres outside Montreal. The mayor, and his son, face charges of brerach of trust, fraud and conspiracy.

And in Israel, yet another prominent government politician appears to have fallen by the wayside.  Avigdor Lieberman, founder and head of the Yisrael Beitenu ultranationalist party has been charged with breach of trust.  As a result he has resigned from his foreign ministry position in the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Prosecutors have suspected Mr. Lieberman of illicitly receiving millions from businessmen, and laundering the cash through companies in eastern Europe while he was an MK and cabinet inister.  Attorney-General Yehuda Weinstein claims the case is not a slam dunk.  "I am convinced that there is no reasonable chance of a conviction in the offences [that] Lieberman is suspected of and that case should be closed".

World map of the 2012 Corruption Perceptions Index by Transparency International, which measures "the degree to which corruption is perceived to exist among public officials and politicians". High numbers (blue) indicate less perception of corruption, whereas lower numbers (red) indicate higher perception of corruption

Of 180 countries of the world examined to achieve corruption rankings, 132 came up with index scores under five, including Greece, India, Mexico, Brazil, Saudi Arabia and Thailand.  Fully 56 countries rated below 3, a level indicative of rampant corruption, and those included Argentina, Pakistan, Russia and Afghanistan.  Some others include Uzbekistan, Azebaijan, Kazakhstan, Albania, Belarus, Kyrgystan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Zimbabwe and North Korea.

In all of which estimable countries bribery, patronage, nepotism, extortion, cronynism, graft and embezzlement are well institutionalized.