Political corruption, graft, and the quest for a clean society in the world

Recently, events that have led to the setting of "Clean Society" goals have emerged one after another in our country and in several others. Attention was first turned toward politicians and bureaucrats in early 1993 in France, when a former prime minister committed suicide, unable to bear the accusations of bribery leveled against him. Until that time, bribery allegations and corruption cases that occasionally appeared in the political mechanism and were soon forgotten began to be questioned by various circles after this date. Following France, the quest for a "Clean Society" was initiated in Italy, long considered the cradle of the underground economy, under the name "Operation Clean Hands" (Mani pulite).

As is known, there were great difficulties in investigating and prosecuting mafia-related cases in Italy. Units, prosecutors, and judges conducting such investigations performed their duties under constant threat; many of them resigned, unable to withstand the threats and pressures. Most recently, a prosecutor investigating the crimes of a major drug trafficking network lost his life as a result of an assassination attempt against him. While these events were taking place in Italy, China—which was taking steps toward capitalism and transitioning from a centrally planned economy to a market economy—was launching a war against rising corruption, with Deputy Prime Minister Zhao Ziyang in particular initiating radical stabilization measures in many areas.

The "Clean Society" quests in France, Italy, and China led to eyes turning toward Japan, which has a different economic culture. This is because corruption, bribery, and scandals, with dimensions nearly approaching those in Italy, were frequently on the agenda in Japan, where the private sector and the state are intertwined.

Similarly, in Brazil, the extravagant lifestyle of the President and his family drew public reaction; consequently, public administrators and politicians felt the need to address the issue. In the end, the President was forced to resign and was also sentenced to prison. As a result of the interrogations conducted within the framework of "Operation Clean Hands" in Italy, it was revealed that bribes were also paid to politicians in Greece. As is known, the "Koskotas Scandal" occurred in Greece in 1988. In the Koskotas file, which continued to have repercussions for a long time, a bank president had entered into bribery relationships with many politicians to secure various privileges.

In South Korea, a corruption investigation was launched in the country following an increase in allegations of corruption and bribery. In fact, while the investigation was ongoing, Lee Cheng Bohm, one of the members of the corruption investigation commission, was removed from his post on the grounds of abuse of office. Furthermore, as a result of this investigation, 77 bureaucrats resigned; the Minister of Health, Pankyung, was forced to resign on the grounds of smuggling because the hospital he owned did not pay its tax debts.

Spain is another country that has had its share of corruption scandals in recent years. Politicians, bureaucrats, and businesspeople appear as the main actors in the event, just as in other countries. For example, it was revealed that the Deputy Prime Minister and his brother were acting as influence peddlers and receiving large commissions from these activities.

The Clean Society movement in Italy entered a new era with "Operation Clean Hands"; a comprehensive struggle was launched against the corruption, bribery, and mafia chain in the country. Operation Clean Hands began in 1992 through the efforts of prosecutors in Milan and Rome. While the operation was still ongoing, it was revealed that many politicians and businesspeople were involved in bribery, corruption, and interest-based relationships with the mafia. The spectrum of scandals widened day by day; a corruption order in which political parties, the mafia, public institutions, and the business world were intertwined was exposed. With Operation Clean Hands in Italy, it was determined that all parties were involved in corruption and had dirty relationships with the mafia.

This cleaning operation initiated in Italy turned into a "civil coup" as a result of the explosion of many years of accumulation. The first event that formed the basis for the start of the operation took place in 1992. The assassination of Paolo Borsellino, the prosecutor who replaced Giovanni Falcone—the chief prosecutor of Palermo in Sicily, which was used as the mafia's headquarters—after Falcone was killed, created the perception that the state had been defeated in its war against the mafia. The public organized large protests with years of accumulated anger; they demanded that justice be served and that the mafia be stopped.

Everything in Italy started with the divorce of Mario, a modest socialist party official, from his wife. It could have started with a truck-Mercedes accident in our country as well. His wife, finding the alimony awarded to her insufficient, applied to the Milan Prosecutor's Office to take revenge, claiming that her husband's wealth had reached billions as a result of collecting bribes for many years. When Mario's computer records were examined, 7,000 names emerged, including many famous politicians. All of these names were linked to each other by a chain of bribery.

Within the scope of Operation Clean Hands, investigations were opened against 2,400 people in the first stage on grounds such as corruption, bribery, blackmail, forgery, financing of political parties, and abuse of political power. Approximately 300 of these were members of parliament. 1 in 250 municipal councils was dissolved. Even the most powerful names in the country could not escape this operation; senior executives of large companies were arrested, and many of them went to prison.

In fact, the Chairman of the Board of IRI, one of Italy's largest capital groups, was arrested on the grounds that he ordered the payment of large bribes in tenders. Carlo De Benedetti, the owner of Olivetti, confessed that he had paid bribes many times between 1988 and 1992 to win tenders from the Italian Postal Administration, and an arrest warrant was issued for him.

Since February 1992, a total of approximately 1,500 politicians and company executives have been arrested in Italy. Furthermore, it was determined that Andreotti, a leader of the Christian Democratic Party who had been in the country's administration for many years and had served as prime minister seven times, had also received bribes and had ties to the mafia.

I hope it serves as an example for us.