Corruption In Venezuela

Running head: CORRUPTION IN VENEZUELA

Corruption in Venezuela

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CORRUPTION IN VENEZUELA 2

Table of Contents

Summary: The Venezuelan Corruption Crisis ................................................................................ 3

Answer to the question (is the government of Venezuela implementing effective policies to curb

corruption and ensure good governance). ....................................................................................... 5

Background information on the causes and State of corruption in Venezuela ............................... 6

Argument supporting the claim that Venezuela is not implementing effective policies to curb

corruption and ensure good governance. ........................................................................................ 7

Argument against the claim that Venezuela is not implementing effective policies to curb

corruption and ensure good governance ......................................................................................... 9

Contradictions or Inconsistencies in implementing policies geared towards curbing corruption

and ensuring good governance in Venezuela................................................................................ 10

Policy recommendations on curbing corruption and promoting good governance ...................... 11

Conclusion and personal opinion on the state of corruption and governance in Venezuela ........ 12

References ..................................................................................................................................... 13

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Summary: The Venezuelan Corruption Crisis

Venezuela is a federal presidential republic in South America with an estimated

population of 31 million people. Despite the vast resources harbored in the country including oil,

the state continues to lag behind in growth and development. The cause of the slow growth can

be summed up to persistent financial and political corruption. In fact, it is imperative to observe

that Venezuela was ranked by transparency international at 169/ 180 with a low score of 18/100

in the form of corruption fight (Transparency International, 2018). This essay will demystify the

factors that provide a thriving environment for corruption in the country, the successes, and

failures of the government in combating graft as well as give possible recommendations that may

eliminate the vice from Venezuela.

It is imperative to note that corruption is criminalized in Venezuela, besides, there exists

a legal framework meant to prosecute corrupt individuals within the country, and nevertheless

such legal structures have proven ineffective. Corruption in Venezuela is extensive; it ranges

from extortion, active and passive bribery, and abuse of office. Combating corruption in the

country has proven to be an uphill task mainly because of lack of political goodwill and

determination to fight it. Notably, top ranking government officials within the government are

among the leading beneficiaries of corruption that they gain through dubious deals with

foreigners and corporations (Venezuela Corruption Report, 2016).

The judicial system in Venezuela, which is supposed to prosecute corrupt individual has

been under political attack with its independence being eroded. For instance, the legal

institutions in Venezuela ruled in favor of the government in 94% cases involving the

government and politicians. Similarly, the courts are occupied by loyalist judges appointed by

the state and thus owe their judicial powers to the politicians and not fidelity to the constitution.

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Other sectors affected by extreme corruption include the police where the institution is

ineffective and always serves on behalf of the highest bidder. Public service in Venezuela lacks

transparency. Appointments to public offices are often riddled with irregularities and regalities.

Inspections on the other hand by various departments meant to ensure the safety standards of

goods and services are at par are marred with bribery and inefficiency. Briefly, qualities services

and especially from the government in Venezuela are only accessible to those willing to pay for

them.

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Answer to the question (is the government of Venezuela implementing effective policies to

curb corruption and ensure good governance).

No, the government of Venezuela is making no efforts or implementing policies to curb

pollution. It is sagacious to observe that all efforts towards reducing corruption would have to

include arrests and prosecution of corrupt individuals in the country. To achieve this a

government would have to put in place measures that strengthen the law enforcement agencies,

but this is not the case in Venezuela. While people remain hopeful when electing their leaders

with the belief that they would solve the Venezuelan crisis o corruption; these elected leaders

only turn out to be self-centered power seeking individual is thus furthering corruption in a bid to

consolidate their power and authority.

Political goodwill and determination mean that the government would be harsh to corrupt

officials and thus facilitate their arrest and prosecution. Political goodwill would also imply that

the government would not be willing to work with corrupt individuals. If such measures were

enforced, the police officers and judicial offices would be motivated to ensure diligence and the

rule of law. In contrast, there is a mass abuse of the executive power. The president uses his

authority to place loyal individuals in all vital office positions including the judicially, tax

parastatals and government-owned oil companies. Ultimately, the rule of law should be

paramount to ensure corruption is eliminated, however; corruption has grown stronger than the

laws governing the country. For instance, bureaucrats no longer follow due diligence in

exporting products or during government procurements.

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Background information on the causes and State of corruption in Venezuela

The cultivation of a culture of impunity by previous political regimes is the cause of the

current corruption crisis. Administrations in Venezuela have been characterized by the culture of

rewarding and crowning political loyalists with government appointments and public resources.

From Juan Vicente Gomez government in 1922 and Marcos Perez Jimenez from 1948- 1958

Venezuela has been plagued with corruption. While presidents Romulo Betancourt, Raul Leoni

and Rafael Caldera ushered a period of prudent management of public resources, this period as

not to last as public accountability deteriorated in the mid-1970s. This period of political

authoritarianism and lack of accountability led to the fall of industries and increased in the

countries national debt. The election of Chavez to the president in the 1998 elections led to the

growth of authoritarian and dictatorship rule in which the president assumed absolute power by

actively being involved in judicial affairs and the legislature (Coronel, 2006). For instance,

President Hugo Chavez fired the Supreme Court judges, the attorney general among other judges

in the court these actions crippled the fight against corruptions as law enforcement institutions

became weak serving at the pleasure of the president.

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Argument supporting the claim that Venezuela is not implementing effective policies to

curb corruption and ensure good governance.

Several factors have led to my belief that the Venezuelan government is not determined

to implement radical changes that will culminate in the elimination of the country ranked among

the most corrupt in the world. First is the failure by the government he increasing rate of

inequality between the rich and the poor. Notably, over the past few decades, Venezuela has

developed a widening gap between the rich who own over 80% of the countries resources and

the poor who lack the very basic needs including medical supplies. Wealthy individuals in

Venezuela drive posh cars and expensive airplanes at the expense of ordinary citizens. Money

intended to be invested in manufacturing plans and boosting the economy are diverted to

personal and private accounts belonging to government and corporate executives.

Secondly is the disregard for the rule of law and lack of accountability. While the

government takes bold steps in combating crime including the firing of state officers and heads

corporations, litigation procedures, and graft cases are never finalized, and no perpetrators are

sent to prison nor are there any funds recovered. Venezuela has never been short of anti-

corruption laws including but is not limited to The Venezuelan Anti-Corruption Law that

criminalizes graft, i.e., money laundering, bribery, abuse of office and extortion punishable by

prison time of three to 10 years. Despite these stringent laws, public officials openly receive gifts

with the intent of giving extreme privilege to the host in future.

Notably, the executive arm of the government in Venezuela disregard and lack of fidelity

to the constitution is also evident with president Maduro’s call for a constitutional overhaul.

Similarly, the executive has been actively advocating for a weak judiciary. In 2017, for example

after the opposition, the party elected new supreme court and high court Judges in a bid to

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advance the war on graft and the rule of law, President Nicolas Maduro threatened to jail and

their property confiscated by the government. Such threats are meant to intimidate the judiciary

to give government friendly rulings with disregard to the rule of law and the constitution (VOA

News, 2017). Lastly is the crushing and neutralization of the civil societies in Venezuela.

Freedoms of speech, assembly, and press are guaranteed in the Venezuelan constitution.

However, the government has continued to suppress the rights through intimidation and threats.

The media in Venezuela is therefore shy of reporting press releases that seem to target the

government including corruption scandals.

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Argument against the claim that Venezuela is not implementing effective policies to curb

corruption and ensure good governance

Nevertheless, while the Venezuelan government may appear unconcerned with the

skyrocketing rate of corruption and lack of accountability in public administration it is sagacious

that I acknowledge the few efforts made by the successive regime in the country. One of the

initiatives launched is the creation of a National Anti-Corruption Body a special secret police

force tasked with fighting corruption in the country. The task force member’s anonymity was

maintained to ensure their integrity is not compromised through bribery and intimidation

(Robertson, 2014).

Secondly is the replacement of the country’s largest notes with coins. Currency

smuggling is a common form of corruption in Venezuela. Notably, currency notes are the most

common forms of currencies used for transactions in Venezuela. Similarly, currency notes make

it easier for money launderers, drug traffickers among other corrupt individuals to smuggle

illegally acquired money out of the country. This policy is meant to make currencies more bulky

and detectable by the authorities when transported in bulk to facilitate arrests and prosecutions.

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Contradictions or Inconsistencies in implementing policies geared towards curbing

corruption and ensuring good governance in Venezuela.

While the administration has made efforts to curb corruption in Venezuela, specific

actions have been inconsistent leading to questions about President's ulterior motives For

instance, the contradictions between promise and reality. When President Nicolas Maduro came

to power, he promised citizens that it was a new dawn for Venezuela, as he would make the fight

against graft his topmost priority. He assured Venezuelan that his government would ensure

there is a prudent use of national resources and all officials would be accountable in their

positions. However, this reality never came to be; corruption has become more rampant and with

no accountability. Similarly, the president has been at loggerheads with the judiciary the only

institution capable of enforcing laws on graft through threats of arrest. The President Maduro’s

government has also depicted blatant disregard of the constitutions where rules are no longer

implemented, drug traffickers, money launderers are allowed to transact business in the country

including being contracted for government tenders. The president has also been accused of

harassing and cracking down on rivals under the pretext of fighting graft while with ulterior

motives of consolidating power, gaining popularity and legitimacy among the Venezuelan

citizens (Woody, 2017).

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Policy recommendations on curbing corruption and promoting good governance

There are several measures would reduce and ultimately eliminate corruption in

Venezuela. First is ensuring that there is a separation of powers within the government. All arms

of government in Venezuela should exercise independence. For instance, the executive should

focus on policy formulation and implementation while the judiciary should focus on interpreting

and ensuring the constitution adheres to the latter. The legislature, on the other hand, should also

focus on the formulation of plausible laws to be enforced against graft perpetrators.

Independence of the three arms provides checks and balances of power where each arm plays an

oversight role to ensure the other arms of government does not abuse their power. Secondly, the

Venezuelan government should observe fidelity to the constitution since disregarding the

constitution provides a healthy ground for anarchy. In addition, the rights and freedoms of

citizens including the press, speech, and assembly should be upheld. Citizens through human

rights groups and the media should be allowed to air their views and opinions since they might

give rise to policies beneficial to the country. Ultimately, accountability and transparency should

be observed, arraigning, prosecuting, and imprisoning corrupt officials in the government would

enforce this.

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Conclusion and personal opinion on the state of corruption and governance in Venezuela

In summing-up, I would like to point out that the stability of a country is dependent on

the political climate in the country. Similarly, for the success of any policy, political goodwill

from all the stakeholders in a country is essential. The corruption crisis in Venezuela has

persisted due to continued attacks on the countries democracy. Successive regimes have built a

culture of dictatorship and impunity. The Venezuelan government should be alive to the fact that

fighting against democracy amounts to fighting transparency, which breeds corruption. It is

therefore meticulous that the government restores justice where the citizens are free to chart their

political and economic future without intimidation. The opposition should be viewed as opinion

shapers who keep the government accountable and not as rival or rebels who should be crushed.

Besides Venezuelans should acknowledge the fact that they have a responsibility to uphold and

respect the rule of law, all their endeavors and activities should, therefore, be geared towards this

cause.

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References

Coronel, G. (2006, November 27th). Corruption, Mismanagement, and Abuse of Power in Hugo

Chávez’s Venezuela. Retrieved February 28th, 2018, from Cato Institute:

https://www.cato.org/publications/development-policy-analysis/corruption-

mismanagement-abuse-power-hugo-chavezs-venezuela

Robertson, E. (2014, December 2014). Secret Anti-Corruption Force Created in Venezuela.

Retrieved February 28th, 2018, from Venezuela Analysis:

https://venezuelanalysis.com/news/11058

Transparency International. (2018). Venezuelal. Retrieved February 28th, 2018, from

transparencyinternational.org: https://www.transparency.org/country/VEN

Venezuela Corruption Report. (2016, May 28th). Retrieved February 28, 2018, from

https://www.business-anti-corruption.com/country-profiles/venezuela

VOA News. (2017, July 23). Venezuela's President Threatens to Imprison Supreme Court

Judges. Retrieved February 28th, 2018, from VOA News:

https://www.voanews.com/a/venezuela-president-threatens-to-imprison-supreme-court-

judges/3956351.html

Woody, C. (2017, December 1st). Nicolas Maduro is cracking down on rivals, and Venezuela's

oil industry could take a big hit. Retrieved February 28th, 2018, from Busiess Insider:

http://www.businessinsider.com/nicolas-maduro-may-harm-venezuela-oil-industry-

targeting-pdvsa-2017-12?IR=T

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