Judicial ReEngineering

A corrupt dictatorship typically results in many years of general hardship and suffering for the
vast majority of citizens as civil society and the rule of law disintegrate. In addition, corrupt
dictators routinely ignore economic and social problems in their quest to amass ever more wealth
and power.
The classic case of a corrupt, exploitive dictator often given is the regime of Marshal Mobutu
Sese Seko, who ruled the Democratic Republic of the Congo (which he renamed Zaire) from
1965 to 1997. It is said that usage of the term kleptocracy gained popularity largely in response
to a need to accurately describe Mobutu's regime. Another classic case is Nigeria, especially
under the rule of General Sani Abacha who was de facto president of Nigeria from 1993 until his
death in 1998. He is reputed to have stolen some US$3–4 billion. He and his relatives are often
mentioned in Nigerian 419 letter scams claiming to offer vast fortunes for "help" in laundering
his stolen "fortunes", which in reality turn out not to exist. More than $400 billion was stolen
from the treasury by Nigeria's leaders between 1960 and 1999.
More recently, articles in various financial periodicals, most notably Forbes magazine, have
pointed to Fidel Castro, General Secretary of the Republic of Cuba since 1959, of likely being
the beneficiary of up to $900 million, based on "his control" of state-owned companies.
Opponents of his regime claim that he has used money amassed through weapons sales,
narcotics, international loans, and confiscation of private property to enrich himself and his
political cronies who hold his dictatorship together, and that the $900 million published by
Forbes is merely a portion of his assets, although that needs to be proven.
Opposition and Measurement
Mobile telecommunications and radio broadcasting help to fight corruption, especially in
developing regions like Africa, where other forms of communications are limited. In India, the
anti-corruption bureau fights against corruption, and a new ombudsman bill called Jan Lokpal
Bill is being prepared.
In the 1990s, initiatives were taken at an international level (in particular by the European
Community, the Council of Europe, the OECD) to put a ban on corruption: in 1996, the
Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, for instance, adopted a comprehensive
Program of Action against Corruption and, subsequently, issued a series of anti-corruption
standard-setting instruments:
the Criminal Law Convention on Corruption (ETS 173);
the Civil Law Convention on Corruption (ETS 174);
the Additional Protocol to the Criminal Law Convention on Corruption (ETS 191);
the Twenty Guiding Principles for the Fight against Corruption (Resolution (97) 24);
the Recommendation on Codes of Conduct for Public Officials (Recommendation No. R
(2000) 10);
the Recommendation on Common Rules against Corruption in the Funding of Political
Parties and Electoral Campaigns (Rec(2003)4)
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