"Minardi Gras" (Northernsky)
08/05/2014 at 04:30 • Filed to: None
2
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"Minardi Gras" (Northernsky)
08/05/2014 at 04:30 • Filed to: None | 2
| 13 |
The man is on trial for bribery. The prosecution is likely to accept a cash settlement.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-eur…
He is not admitting guilt, but with a guilty verdict meaning that the rest of the Formula One Group would have to remove him as CEO he must be pretty concerned that this is the likely outcome.
As GhostZ said, the Germans are in a tight spot with what to do with him if he were found guilty anyway; putting an 83 year old man in prison for 10 years (potentially/likely the rest of his life) helps nobody whilst $100m to the local government could really help people.
I can see the logic in it, but it feels absolutely absurd that you can end a bribery trial with a bribe settlement.
GhostZ
> Minardi Gras
08/05/2014 at 04:34 |
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The government doesn't care about right or wrong or putting people behind bars, they care about serving the needs of the people. The people need a shitload of cash a lot more than they need another old man in jail.
m2m, apex detective
> GhostZ
08/05/2014 at 04:42 |
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He's got money enough to laugh this off. Time is what would hurt him ... but then he's Bernie, so he's not likely to learn anything either way.
Yeah, I'll take the money. Maybe a bit more.
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GhostZ
> m2m, apex detective
08/05/2014 at 04:47 |
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That's my point. No sense in hurting a guy (especially if he's going to kick the bucket) when instead you can use it to help a lot more people.
Cé hé sin
> Minardi Gras
08/05/2014 at 04:48 |
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In Bernie's world. He's used to getting anything he wants for money.
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Minardi Gras
> GhostZ
08/05/2014 at 04:50 |
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It sets a really weird precedent though. Bribery is okay as long as you've got enough to bribe the courts too.
Of course, Bernie isn't admitting guilt and is just trying to end the trial asap, but he must be fearing a guilty verdict in order to offer this.
OkCars- 22k Crossroads
> Minardi Gras
08/05/2014 at 04:59 |
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bernie the motherfucker. All drivers seem to get along with him well.
But its for a reason. Its better to be on his side than against him.
duurtlang
> Minardi Gras
08/05/2014 at 05:10 |
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It depends. How does it compare to the crime? If (this is a big if ) the settlement/fine is far, far higher than the bribe amount it could be a great deterrent. Some time behind bars wouldn't hurt either, I do agree there. Furthermore the above is only true if no one got hurt.
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Minardi Gras
> duurtlang
08/05/2014 at 05:16 |
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This is true, but it seems very unfair to the guy who is serving 8.5 years in jail for accepting the bribe...
McMike
> Minardi Gras
08/05/2014 at 05:21 |
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The bribery for bribery is too damn high.
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GhostZ
> Minardi Gras
08/05/2014 at 05:40 |
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Bribing an officer is totally different than paying the courts. There's only 2 reasons why bribery is illegal:
1. The amount of money paid might be far less than the damage being done to the society (for example, bribing the IRS with a lower amount of money than your official taxes, or the courts for a lower amount than the fine)
2. When you bribe an officer, they take the money, not the government. This is the huge one. He's not bribing a judge, he's paying the government a sum of money, which will be included in their budget and used according to the laws and representatives voted on by the people. Bribery is one-sided and doesn't help anyone other than the officer.
In some countries, bribery is actually a mechanism for paying officers and one of the 'perks' of the job, usually in countries where it is rampant. In that case, you'd have to estimate if the officers are doing more good by being incentivized to enforce the law. The reason we don't do this in the US is because, more often then not, it just incentivizes them to over-enforce or unfairly enforce crimes. However, in a country with poor enforcement, poor officer training, and a government that enforces without consent, it can be a great method of getting skilled civilians on your side.
So, in other words, I'd say the precedent it sets is "Bribery is okay, if you can pay for a bunch of public services too to make up for it."
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duurtlang
> Minardi Gras
08/05/2014 at 05:50 |
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Very good point. Slightly off topic, but there seems to be a disconnect between punishment for small scale crimes and large white collar ones.
dmcspeedy
> Minardi Gras
08/05/2014 at 07:36 |
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Sky is reporting that it's a done deal:
http://news.sky.com/story/1313203/…
ttyymmnn
> Minardi Gras
08/05/2014 at 08:38 |
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Not necessarily. He's simply writing a check to make this all go away. Today he wakes up and goes about his normal, absurdly rich day.