Lula and Park convictions

Two formerly powerful ex-presidents of their countries were sent to jail by judges last week over corruption and misconduct during their times in office. It was a shattering change from earlier perceptions that ex-leaders are untouchables, no matter the level of atrocities they committed against the people while in power. Former President of Brazil Luiz […]

Two formerly powerful ex-presidents of their countries were sent to jail by judges last week over corruption and misconduct during their times in office. It was a shattering change from earlier perceptions that ex-leaders are untouchables, no matter the level of atrocities they committed against the people while in power.

Former President of Brazil Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva began another life in jail on Saturday April 8, the first former president of modern Brazil to be sent to jail. Judge Sergio Moro convicted da Silva last year of trading favours with a construction company in exchange for the promise of a beachfront apartment. That conviction was upheld by an appeals court in January even as the former president denied wrongdoing in that case and in several other corruption cases that have yet to be tried. He said the conviction was the handiwork of his enemies who are bent on ensuring that he doesn’t run and possibly win  re-election in October.

Judge Moro, who oversees many of the so-called “Car Wash” cases, gave da Silva until 5 p.m. of Friday, April 6 to present himself to police in Curitiba and begin serving his 12-year sentence. Da Silva, who Brazilians call “Lula” did not turn up but instead took refuge at the workers’ union headquarters where his supporters barricaded the gate. Police whisked him away after a fierce showdown with his supporters. 

Earlier this month, South Korea’s former president and first female leader Park Geun-Hye was jailed 24 years for corruption. Park was found guilty on multiple criminal charges including bribery and abuse of power. The case in South Korea had precedents. Park Geun-Hye’s predecessors Chun Doo-Whan and Roh Tae-woo had also been convicted of criminal charges after leaving office. Last year, the wide-ranging corruption scandal against Park engendered massive street protests known as the Candlelight Revolution, followed by parliamentary impeachment. In sentencing Park, Judge Kim Se-Yoon said, “The accused abused the power bestowed by the people – the true ruler of this country – to cause chaos in national administration. Despite all these crimes, the accused denied all the charges against her, displayed no remorse and showed an incomprehensible attitude by blaming Choi [Park’s secret confidante and long-time friend] and other officials.”

Stories abound in different parts of the world where ex-rulers fall from grace to grass because of their inadequacies and the manner in which they desecrated the oath of office they took.

The situation is however different in Africa where even though the laws are there, there are a lot of encumbrances that make implementing them nearly impossible. In Nigeria for instance, many past leaders who held prominent positions of trust have been accused of graft and betrayal of trust. Several assets have been traced to them but little success was recorded in making them to account for their misdeeds.

In Nigeria today, President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration rode to power mainly on the promise of fighting corruption. While it has been praised in some quarters for its anti-corruption efforts, others have alleged that the fight is selective and that it has little or no component of system reform. Following a charge by the opposition PDP, Minister of Information Alhaji Lai Mohammed recently released two lists of alleged looters but that action too sailed into controversy.  

Even though a lot of probes of former rulers at national and state levels have taken place in this country in the last fifteen years and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission [EFCC] has charged many high profile people to court for corruption, almost none has been convicted. The most important conviction of a high profile Nigerian, former Delta State governor James Ibori, was achieved in Britain, not here. Almost all other cases involving high profile persons have stalled in the courts, some for over a decade. That is why the examples of Brazil and South Korea excite Nigerians. For us, bringing powerful people to book is still a distant aspiration.