By Matthew
Richardson
Todd Dale Malaki, a U.S. naval officer, will serve 40 months for
selling classified sea craft information to a Singaporean Defense firm, and all
for a $15,000 bribe from Leo “Fat Leonard” Francis. This article
illustrates several points that those interested in anti-corruption should
remember. First, even those sworn to serve and protect, such as Lieutenant
Commander Malaki, can be corrupted. Second, countries seldom covered by U.S.
news sources, such as Singapore, evidently tolerate commercial espionage even
against sovereign security institutions.
By Matthew
Richardson
91% of Ghanaians believe that the police are
corrupt – higher than the percentage for politicians. That’s really saying
something. But what’s most surprising is that new research shows that when the salaries
of Ghanaian cops were raised, so were the bribes they demanded. The
long-standing theory that petty corruption is a response to under-resourcing of
enforcement officers looks much weaker in the face of results like this. For
those interested in the public policy tools available for anti-corruption,
appealing to the better nature of crooked cops by providing a living wage may
not be the panacea so many expected.
