Analysis published on Monday in Australia shows that without severe penalties, political corruption will continue to flourish worldwide. The article in Independent Australia presents a concise history of politicians imprisoned.
France’s highly-decorated former President Nicolas Sarkozy starts his jail sentence on corruption charges any day now. He was convicted in March this year of illicit campaign funding and sentenced to three years prison with two suspended.
France is one of many countries which have found custodial sentences essential in curbing political corruption.
Shaming is not enough
Corruption in Australia is far more rife than in France, and the wealth grifted is much greater. Australia urgently needs a federal Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), replicating the ICAC in New South Wales, Victoria’s IBAC and similar bodies in other states.
The lessons from abroad and from the Australian states is that while a federal ICAC is essential, it will be little use unless the courts impose stiff penalties.
Experience abroad
On conviction of accepting bribes in 1977, US Representative Andrew Hinshaw served a year behind bars. US Agriculture Secretary Earl Butz was sentenced to 30 days jail plus five years probation in 1978 for evading $148,000 in taxes. Convicted of mail fraud and running a kickback scheme in 1978, US Representative Charles Diggs spent three years in prison.
US Representative Frank Clark copped two years imprisonment for mail fraud and tax evasion in 1979. Representative for Texas Albert Bustamante was convicted in 1993 of bribery and sentenced to three-and-a-half years in jail. Representative Frank Ballance spent served four years for money laundering and mail fraud, beginning in 2005.
In Canada, Conservative MP Dean Del Mastro spent a month in prison in 2015 for breaking election spending laws.
In Britain, Jeffrey Archer had been mayor of London and was a life peer when he was jailed for perjury and perverting the course of justice in 2001. This ended his political career.
Israel’s Prime minister from 2006 to 2009, Ehud Olmert, served 16 months in prison for bribery and obstructing justice while mayor of Jerusalem in the 1990s and later as trade minister.
Israel’s former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was charged in January 2020 with allegedly accepting illegal favors from businessmen and making a deal with a newspaper to legislate to weaken their competitors in exchange for favorable coverage of Netanyahu.
The trials are continuing. If convicted, Netanyahu faces up to 13 years prison.
In India, many high ranking politicians have been imprisoned, as summarised here and here.
Former South African President Jacob Zuma was jailed for 15 months last July for contempt of court. He had refused to testify at a commission of inquiry into corruption while he was President.
These jailings – all highly publicised – have had a powerful educative impact, at least in the jurisdiction in which they occurred.
Extensive corruption in Australia and the USA
Corruption in Australia’s federal government over recent years is far worse than in any of the above countries – both in the proportion of ministers with adverse findings against them and the quantum of money rorted.
The Chaser has published a list of 124 actions it describes as ‘Liberal Party’s corruption over the last 7 years’. A footnote states this dossier is part of full list of 902 instances, published here.
In the USA, investigations by the FBI and various other state and federal bodies are ongoing.
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The full article is available here for free:
https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/australia-needs-an-icac-but-also-mandatory-jail-sentences,15640
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“Alan Austin is a great Australian journalist and,
I think, a pirate. I steal Alan Austin’s findings all the time.”
~ Jordan Shanks
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtV-2X4BjQI