We have the laws to fight corporate graft, but too many big fish are let off the hook
Existing legislation, dating as far back as 2004, does provide for adequate punishment
What are the actual penalties for serious corporate crimes in SA, and should you target the people at the top of the corruption chain or a bit lower down and build a case from there? The latter is starting to happen in light of the Zondo state capture commission of inquiry; people a bit lower down the chain, such as Angelo Agrizzi, are being charged. Others must surely be getting nervous and reading up what the law has to say. While the popular perception may be that no-one ever gets sent to jail for corruption in SA, it’s not true; there have been several cases but, as we all know, the bigger you are and the worse the crime, the less likely you are to have your day in court or go to jail. Hopefully, now that the state has committed itself to rooting out the rot, this is set to change. It is therefore worth looking at the penalties imposed in what seem to be ‘‘small” cases as an indication of the kind of penalties to come for the bigger. In Phillips versus the state, a traffic offic...
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