Others have swimming pools replete with wine bars.
Pavlo Lazarenko, a former Ukrainian prime minister, is detained in
San Francisco on money laundering charges. His defense team accuses
the US authorities of "selective prosecution".
They are quoted by Radio Free Europe as saying:
"The impetus for this prosecution comes from allegations made by the
Kuchma regime, which itself is corrupt and dedicated to using
undemocratic and repressive methods to stifle political opposition
... (other Ukrainian officials) including Kuchma himself and his
closest associates, have committed conduct similar to that with
which Lazarenko is charged but have not been prosecuted by the U.S.
government".
The UNDP estimated, in 1997, that, even in rich, industrialized,
countries, 15% of all firms had to pay bribes. The figure rises to
40% in Asia and 60% in Russia.
Corruption is rife and all pervasive, though many allegations are
nothing but political mud-slinging. Luckily, in countries like
Macedonia, it is confined to its rapacious elites: its politicians,
managers, university professors, medical doctors, judges,
journalists, and top bureaucrats. The police and customs are
hopelessly compromised. Yet, one rarely comes across graft and
venality in daily life. There are no false detentions (as in
Russia), spurious traffic tickets (as in Latin America), or
widespread stealthy payments for public goods and services (as in
Africa).
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