The cases of Stofile and Belvedere – different sides, same coin

By Alec Hogg

Among the biggest challenges in a democracy is the differing speeds at which its two bulwarks operate. The Court of Public Opinion is rapid, harsh and often erratic. Journalists work at near warp speed, making perfection impossible. Mistakes can and do creep in, and get used as weapons by miscreants to discredit the entire message.

The Court of Law, by contrast, operates at a snail’s pace. While the wheels of justice work slowly, they do grind very finely. Far less mistakes are made, but because conclusions take such a long time – and the public’s attention is so brief – the truth can sometimes get lost.

Here’s a couple of recent reminders. In the excellent speech you’ll find transcribed on Biznews this morning, Anglogold chairman Sipho Pityana explains how his late friend Makhenkesi Stofile needed to go all the way to the Constitutional Court to have allegations of corruption cleared. But he died with many only remembering the initial accusations.

On the other side, it has taken 18 months for Belvedere kingpin David Cosgrove‘s proclamation of innocence to be exposed as the lie it always was. After its lengthy investigation, the Mauritian Financial Services authority has banned him and his company from ever holding a licence again. Perhaps that will finally confirm to critics that Belvedere really was the Ponzi scheme as OffshoreAlert’s editor David Marchant steadfastly maintained.

Law_hammer_August_2016

Visited 39 times, 1 visit(s) today