The British-based group Transparency International has announced a “Top 10” list for “most corrupt” among global political leaders over the past 20 years.
The complete top 10, with the dates of the rule and estimated sum stolen, are as follows:
1. Mohamed Suharto, Indonesia, 1967-98, 15 to 35 billion dollars
2. Ferdinand Marcos, Philippines, 1972-86, five to 10 billion
3. Mobutu Sese Seko, Zaire, 1965-97, five billion
4. Sani Abacha, Nigeria, 1993-98, two to five billion
5. Slobodan Milosevic, Serbia/Yugoslavia, 1989-2000, one billion
6. Jean-Claude Duvalier, Haiti, 1971-86, 300 to 800 million
7. Alberto Fujimori, Peru, 1990-2000, 600 million
8. Pavlo Lazarenko, Ukraine, 1996-97, 114 to 200 million
9. Arnoldo Aleman, Nicaragua, 1997-2000, 100 million
10. Joseph Estrada, Philippines, 1998-2001, 78 to 80 million
On a mostly unrelated note:
Woohoo! Goooooooooo Philippines! 😀
Woohoo! Goooooooooo Philippines! 😀
Yeah, they’re the only country with two leaders in the top 10…
What the hell? Saddam Hussein isn’t even on the list. Maybe, though, they just have no idea how much he took.
Terrorizing a country and driving it into the ground as its putative leader sure is profitable. And so many people wonder why it happens so often. .
What the hell? Saddam Hussein isn’t even on the list. Maybe, though, they just have no idea how much he took.
I noticed that too; anyone got a ballpark guesstimate as to how much he nabbed? I doubt he’d crack the top three but it also probably depends very heavily on what you define as “stole”.
[Erap, for example, supposedly stole on the order of 300 million but then lost the bulk of it due to crappy gambling. Does the 78-80 million only represent the liquid wealth that he retained?]
I’m thinking “stole” should be defined as the amount they made off with that’s above and beyond the overt compensation package. And that what happened to the loot afterward (especially as a result of recklessness in the arena of personal finance) is immaterial.
I note the absence of Yassir Arafat as well. Curious.
And where’s Fidel? Did he do all his stealing more than 20 years ago?
Doesn’t Cheney’s Halliburton deal and subsequent hand off contracts to them make him number 1?
The one that seems most notable to me is this:
9. Arnoldo Aleman, Nicaragua, 1997-2000, 100 million
Because this is the fellow who owes his job, essentially, to America.
Doesn’t Cheney’s Halliburton deal and subsequent hand off contracts to them make him number 1?
Let us know if you’ve got the goods on him stealing something, k? But here’s a hint: Cheney gets the same severance package from Halliburton if they make a trillion dollars in profit as if they go bankrupt.
A dubious honor for the Philippines, all right. Maybe our new motto could be RALLIES DEPOSE THIEVES. Then again there would be no Philippine government left if zero tolerance to thievery ever went in place.
Where the hell did Aleman find 100 million in Nicaragua ? Is he the guy who flew in a plane loaned be a friend because Nicaragua had no air force one, which plane was used to smuggle cocaine when it wasn’t carrying the president ?
Notice I didn’t say it was his friend’s plane. It was stolen.
or was that another Nicaraguan president ?
Just before this thread disappears into oblivion:
Here’s a link to the actual Transparency press release, for those who want to get more of an idea (although not much more, tbh) of the methodology behind the rankings.