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Transnational Corruption in Weapons Procurement in East Asia: A Case Analysis

NCJ Number
229859
Journal
Sociological Focus Volume: 42 Issue: 3 Dated: August 2009 Pages: 254-275
Author(s)
Date Published
August 2009
Length
22 pages
Annotation

This study examined a corrupt transnational weapons procurement case in East Asia.

Abstract

This study highlights the need for further global efforts to establish legal frameworks and judicial protocols to tackle corrupt practices that transcend national borders. It presents and examines the story of the Lafayette Corruption Scandal which has political significance and may stand as a prototype of the kind of illicit behaviors that de-legitimize the globalization process. Transnational corruption is usually facilitated by worldwide networks of multinational corporations and draws in high-ranking government representative. It is characterized by the mishandling and laundering of large amounts of money, intricate webs of contracts and connections, and the extreme difficulties encountered in unmasking the schemes and punishing the offenders. It differs from local corruption in terms of magnitude, complexity, and participants' impunity. The Lafayette Corruption Scandal was perpetrated by prestigious corporations and well-known political leaders from democratic countries, and demonstrates that transnational corruption exists when officials from more than one country illicitly collude with multinational corporations to accumulate personal gain at the expense of the interests of the nation or people they are pledged to serve. Notes and references

Date Published: August 1, 2009