3 December 2014
The Financial Sector Campaign Coalition (FSCC) welcomes the Supreme Court of Appeals (SCA) judgement sentencing J Arthur Brown to an effective 15 years imprisonment. J Arthur Brown in particular stole from the workers and the poor; he is a man without mercy. Through his "calculated" actions, he managed to deprive vulnerable families the opportunity to better their lives. He stripped them of their dignity by preying on their retirement funds. He even misappropriated skills development and training funds that this country direly needs.
The sentence will serve as a deterrent. It will also go a long way in redeeming the image of SA`s judiciary. The rich and privileged, especially white collar criminals who commit crimes against the workers and the poor, have been treated with kids` gloves and leniency. This is clearly illustrated by the original sentence by a lower court on J Arthur Brown which was effectively overturned by the SCA when it imposed the most appropriate sentence.
A wrong impression has also been created in SA, that private sector corruption must be tolerated. It is justified or even softened under such cosmetic masks as "collusion", "price-fixing", etc. At worst it is being said that corruption only occurs in the public sector. These views must be defeated through stern actions such as the SCA sentence on J Arthur Brown.
In fact the majority of the corruption incidences that occur in the public sector are a direct result of deliberate and co-ordinated bribery from the private sector. In all corruption incidences private personal and wealth accumulation interests constitute both the material basis and driving force. All the perpetrators of corruption must be dealt with decisively, regardless of whether they are in the public or private sector such as it is the case with the SCA sentence on J Arthur Brown.
However the sentence alone is not enough. J Arthur Brown represents a deep-rooted problem of corruption and greed committed against the workers and the poor in the private sector which often goes unpunished. The investigative capacity of our law enforcement agencies needs to adequately respond to this problem. We need to detect, investigate, prosecute and sentence in the harshest of ways, corporate greed and white-collar crime in this country if we are to become a prosperous society. In particular we need sustained social mobilisation of the workers and the poor to intensify the fight against corruption and deal with it as brutally as possible.
Issued By the Financial Sector Campaign Coalition
Contact:
Keke Rakgosi - National Co-ordinator
Mobile: 0838860114
Email: moeketsirakgosi@ymail.com