France, corruption and the rule of law
This week reminds us that corruption trials and enforcement of their rulings, of the most senior government officials in countries can occur, without too much fuss and bother, when there is a strong rule of law. In France this occurred, as reported by The New York Times, when Mr. Nicolas Sarkozy, previous president of France, was found guilty of a criminal conspiracy to finance his 2007 campaign with funds from the government of the onetime Libyan strongman Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi. He was sentenced to five years in prison and a fine of approximately $117,000. The presiding judge, Nathalie Gavarino, noted that “Mr. Sarkozy had allowed top aides who worked under his authority and “acted in his name” to “obtain or try to obtain” funding from Libya. The conspiracy, Ms. Gavarino said, aimed to prepare “corruption at the highest possible level” and was an “extremely serious” act likely to “undermine citizens’ confidence in those who represent them.” Though it took a very a long time for this, since 2007, there is a finality to this as even if Mr. Sarkozy appeals it, which he has said will occur, he still will be going to prison, during the appeal process.
Why should we care? As is clear, enforcement in corruption cases is very important. It hopefully leads people to thin that If the president of my country can go to prison for corruption, then I can also go to jail. So much of enforcement in other countries gets to the indictment stage and then, nothing but, when there are cases such as this one, it should hopefully have the desired effect, to caution the populace, as well as remind them that no one is above the law.
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