Out of Reach

The Washington Post printed an excellent commentary by two members of the Inter-American Bar Foundation. The article gave excellent examples of how public officials in Latin America (including, and especially Bolivia) are unable to be prosecuted for crimes committed while in office, by claiming immunity under flawed laws designed to provide cover. The article defines these laws:

"We are not talking here about diplomatic immunity or the kind of immunity a government sometimes offers to protect an individual in return for his or her testimony against others. Instead, under laws that vary somewhat from country to country, all members of the legislative branch, many senior government officials and even mayors and former mayors of small towns are protected by broad immunity from prosecution for any criminal act committed while holding public office (or while holding any title under which the immunity continues)."

Often, politicians who run on a platform of stamping out corruption do very little to change these laws, which are abused far too much. Perhaps lending institutions and the U.S. who often condition their aid with more liberalized economic policies, can condition their financial aid to doing away with this incentive for corruption.