A Chinese success story
PTI yesterday reported that China has claimed major success in bringing back hundreds of corrupt officials, who fled abroad with billions of dollars. As many as 312 officials who had taken refuge in other parts of the globe including the US in the last few decades will now face trial in China. China has sentenced more than 13,000 officials found guilty of corruption and bribery in the first nine months of 2014 alone. In China corruption is punishable with the death penalty if the sums acquired illegally go beyond a certain threshold.
By the way, we are still to get hold of the black money stashed abroad, perhaps because the offenders have not sought refuge elsewhere but stay put in the country.
Seven years ago, observing that everyone wants to loot this country, the then Supreme Court Bench of Justices, S B Sinha and Markandey Katju remarked - "The only way to rid the country of corruption is to hang a few of you on the lamp post. The law does not permit us to do it but otherwise we would prefer to hang people like you at the lamp post."
The Bench's scathing observations came during the hearing of a bail application moved by a dismissed employee of Bihar government for his alleged involvement in the Rs.1000 crore fodder scam.