Tayo Oke
drtayooke@gmail.com
In case you have missed it, there is something interesting trending of late in the world of politics, governance and accountability. It is the sight of prominent former Heads of State and Prime Ministers helping police with their enquiries, and subsequently being escorted to serve various jail terms, having been convicted of grand larceny and other high crimes, in various courts of law, during their tenure in office. Where on earth is this happening, you might be wondering? Must be on another planet, it seems?
Of course, not, it is happening right here on earth; on the other side of the Atlantic, in fact. Well, then, let us see what is really happening in those countries and continents where they are busy sending their former corrupt leaders to jail. They may have something to learn from us Africans, who tend to celebrate and hero-worship such people. We shower them with boulevards and monuments across our towns and cities, you know? So, who the hell has the audacity to send corrupt former leaders to jail? And, what exactly is wrong with the system there that would allow such a thing to happen?
First, imagine a one-time “people’s President”, who rose through extreme poverty to become a skilled metal worker, then, worked his way to the top of the leadership of one of his country’s trade unions, and subsequently being elected to Parliament before campaigning for the Presidency, which he won. Also imagine, after becoming President, he dedicated the whole of his Presidency to improving the lot of the working people, spending vast amounts of money on education and infrastructure, lifting 30 million of the country’s poor citizens out of poverty. A former US President, Ronald Reagan (1981-1989), famously said the ultimate question to ask of a President seeking re-election is: “Are you better off than you were four years ago?” If you are not, then, the President does not deserve to be re-elected, and if you are, then, you may consider re-electing him.
There is no doubt that, eight years after Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva first became President of Brazil (2003-2011), his country was much a better place than it was before his election. He was lauded by just about every international financial institution for his prudent management of the Brazilian economy, making it a lot more inclusive than it previously was. His country was one of the last to go into recession in 2008, and quickly came out of it a year later, in 2009, as one of the first to do so. He expanded access to higher education for the poor, raised minimum wage, initiated the “Bolsa Familia Programme” covering at least 12 million families, which provided them with life-changing sums of money in return for keeping their children in school.
A former US President, Barack Obama, once dubbed him the “most popular head of state in the world”. A man with no known enemy, he handed his successor a booming economy and a positive outlook for the country, becoming the most popular President in Brazil’s history.
Imagine then, that in spite of the above, the state prosecutor in Brazil somehow managed to put together a corruption case against the man affectionately known as “Lula”. The charges, by our standards in Africa, are kindergarten stuff: that he used state resources to make improvements to his family farm, and that he was later discovered to have been given a swanky apartment on the Sao Paulo Coast as a kickback from an inflated contract. He was sentenced to 12 years in prison. He is now in custody. Now, how much money has been alleged to have been siphoned away from the Nigerian treasury by the former Minister for Petroleum Resources, Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke? Or the immediate past National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, in the ongoing arms probe? The amount runs into billions of US dollars in both cases. One of the allegations levelled against the former Brazilian President was his indirect involvement in the “Petrobras scandal” involving kickbacks from corporations to government officials. Like the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Petrobas is also a largely state-owned corporation, through which billions of dollars were alleged to have been fritted away by corrupt means. The investigation, which started in 2014, after “Lula” had left office quickly engulfed his successor in office, President Dilma Rousseff, and later Lula himself became embroiled in it as the prosecution stated: “Besides being party leader, he (Lula) was the one ultimately responsible for the decision on who would be the directors of Petrobas and was one of the main beneficiaries of these crimes”. Has anyone reminded former President Goodluck Jonathan under whose watch billions of dollars were taken out of the treasury in Nigeria, that he too, was ultimately responsible? How about former President Olusegun Obasanjo and the numerous scandals under his watch (Halliburton bribes, Transcorp shares,) to mention but two? Going further still, how about military “President” Ibrahim Babangida before them? The scandals involving him even included allegations of complicity in murder of Nigerian citizens. No probes, no enquiries, no investigations of these individuals, nada!
Earlier this month, Park Geun-hye, South Korea’s ex-President (2013-2017), was jailed for corruption for 24 years, having been found guilty of “abuse of power and coercion”. The trial and the verdict were broadcast live on television. She was said to have caused “massive chaos” for which she should be held accountable. What about the charismatic, action man, President Alberto Fujimori, President of Peru (1990-2000). He was noted for confronting organised crimes and fighting official corruption. His popularity in the opinion polls rose dramatically as he established himself as one of the most efficient politicians the country had ever known. He, nonetheless, was later prosecuted, convicted and sentenced to 25 years in jail for human rights abuses in 2009, including ordering massacres and embezzlement of state funds. What is interesting about this particular case is that Fujimori actually had the opportunity to stay away from Peru, having flown out to Japan, his ancestral home, whilst he was being prosecuted in court. He, nevertheless, chose to come back to face justice. He has recently been released on compassionate grounds, in 2017.
Alfonso Portillo was President of Guatemala from 2000-2004. He was detained in 2010 and extradited to the USA, where he was sentenced to five years and 10 months for money laundering. Ehud Olmert was President of Israel (2006-2009). He was jailed in 2016 for taking bribes, fraud, corruption and obstruction of justice.
To be continued
Copyright PUNCH.
All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH.
Contact: theeditor@punchng.com
Post A Comment:
0 comments so far,add yours