Have you ever heard of a bigger corruption scandal?

[luiz]

luiz fair enough.. I'm not trying to out-do you either, but I'm taking the purpose of the thread to be rather literally defined by the title - i.e. it's a challenge

Sure, and I appreciate the effort. I really want to know if this is the biggest corruption scandal ever.

 

[luiz]

Yeah, here's a link. Might not be the same in sheer money, but these are pretty crazy cases too.

Yeah some bizarre cases there indeed. I guess individually each corruption case there is smaller than the one I described in the OP, but probably (certainly) total corruption in China is bigger than in Brazil. Which is not surprising given that their economy is over 3 times bigger than Brazil's. Which country is more corrupt on relative terms, now that's a tough contest.

It seems though that at least China's new leadership is serious about fighting corruption. They have been arresting, and even sentencing to death, high ranking Politburo members and Army generals. Brazil's ruling party OTOH treats their members who have been arrested and sentenced due to corruption as martyrs persecuted by the "reactionary Judicial branch" (they hate the Judicial branch because they don't have full control over it) and the evil press (they hate independent media outles for the same reason).

 

[Godwynn]

Yeah, here's a link. Might not be the same in sheer money, but these are pretty crazy cases too.

This golden statue of Mao Zedong is worth $16,000,000 and was found in the home of a lieutenant general. I bet Mao would love that.

 

[Tahuti]

This golden statue of Mao Zedong is worth $16,000,000 and was found in the home of a lieutenant general. I bet Mao would love that.

Mao has just beaten Lincoln!

 

[gay_Aleks]

Man, that makes our banker who stole some 1.5 billion euros, plunged one of the largest banks into a bankruptcy and increased the country's debt by some 2 billion for "stabilisation of the bank system" seem amateurish.

Which leads us to the moral lesson! Outside Bulgaria, never elect a Bulgarian for any responsible post that also includes loads of money.

 

[Takhisis]

Peronism have embezzled far more in their seven decades of existence, unfortunately. In a smaller country, to boot!

 

[luiz]

Peronism have embezzled far more in their seven decades of existence, unfortunately. In a smaller country, to boot!

I don't doubt that. But note that here I'm just alluding to one individual instance of thieving by the Workers' Party. The biggest we have uncovered so far, true, but who knows what the grand total is.

 

[bhavv]

Man, that makes our banker who stole some 1.5 billion euros, plunged one of the largest banks into a bankruptcy and increased the country's debt by some 2 billion for "stabilisation of the bank system" seem amateurish.

Which leads us to the moral lesson! Outside Bulgaria, never elect a Bulgarian for any responsible post that also includes loads of money.

If all Bulgarians are as awesome as you, I'll elect them for any position ... Except for world leader, for that position is all mine.

 

[gay_Aleks]

Aw. I feel flattered, but unfortunately, that's not the case. Besides, imagine a thousand Tolnis derailing every single discussion possible - that'd be just a nightmare.

 

[bhavv]

That's why Id elect them, they would together troll the entire world.

 

[Takhisis]

I don't doubt that. But note that here I'm just alluding to one individual instance of thieving by the Workers' Party. The biggest we have uncovered so far, true, but who knows what the grand total is.

Oh, yes, certainly. I don't know how much Argentina's successive maladministrations have embezzled with Yacyretá over the years by now. Peronism have been unable to steal more simply because Argentina is not as large as Brazil. If you were to allow the men of the silver river to offload a few of those individuals onto your lands…

 

[luiz]

We must laugh so not to cry from the situation our countries are in.

In case anyone is curious about the dude who admitted to stealing $100 million and accepted to return it (which tells me he stole far more), here's a link:

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...as-100-million-man-tops-graft-haul-in-scandal

Note that the article refers to him as a third-tier executive. This is what rule by the PT has done to the country: third tier executives are caught with at least $100 million in stolen funds from a public company!

Going back to the we need to laugh part: the crooks name is Pedro Barusco, so people in the industry are now referring to 250 millions as "one Barusco unit" (he stole 250 million reais, which translates to 100 million US dollars).

 

[Timsup2nothin]

Well $20 billion is the lower estimate of what was stolen from Petrobras in the last 12 years. It's certainly much closer to $50 billion.

The $8 billion that disappeared in Iraq is certainly a very respectable sum, but whoever pocketed it are still rookies compared to the Workers' Party. The Cosa Nostra are rookies compared to the Workers' Party. They redefined what it means to be a crook, and the whole world of criminality is forever changed.

Give credit where credit is due...money 'lost' usually refers to expenses exceeded profits, so we 'lost' money. Among those 'expenses' a close examination may reveal payouts and such that are theft/embezzlement, etc. But the money left some sort of trail.

Now, this 8 billion is actually money that is just lost. Like I had a quarter in my pocket earlier today and it might be in my couch cushions or maybe under the seat of the car, but I don't know where it is so it is lost. Now, how does eight billion dollars just get that kind of lost? I think that is awesome.

"Darn it Bob, where did you put that pallet of hundreds?"

"Ummm...I dunno. Jimmy needed the forklift and I just put it down... Umm... Did you look over by the break room?"
-------------------------------------------------------------
To answer the opening question...Enron shareholders lost something like 75 billion before the ultimate collapse defaulted on something close to another 75 billion in debts, and most of those losses and debts were ultimately determined to have resulted from fraud. I think Brazil needs more practice before they are ready for world record competition, but 20-50 billion at a whack is certainly respectable.

 

[Takhisis]

Public sector fraud is what concerns us as citizens.

 

[tetley]

I'm sticking with Edward Snowden as the biggest corruption scandal I've heard of yet. As much as Brazil would like to win that coveted award, the U.S. has them beat.

 

[Takhisis]

Remember that Brasil is always "o mais grande do mundo". Their politicians aim to surpass everyone else in corruption and are trying hard, dammit!

 

[Tee Kay]

Public sector fraud is what concerns us as citizens.

The state also has a responsibility to protect us citizens from private sector fraud.

 

[Takhisis]

Nonsense! Clearly the state has no business interfering in the lives of private citizens.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

Public sector fraud is what concerns us as citizens.

Unfortunately, when you are stealing giant piles of money in the private sector it gives you the ability to buy a lot of 'representative' government.

 

[Tee Kay]

Nonsense! Clearly the state has no business interfering in the lives of private citizens.

Clearly the line between private and public is a vanishingly thin one these days.