Though there are many varieties of illegal financing of political parties and candidates, this entry concentrates on two major forms:
1. Kickbacks from licenses and from illegal profits derived from business dealings and
2. Donations derived from the profits of organised crime. Categories of illegal donations are described in more detail in a later entry, see Other Illegal Donations.
Political Contributions from Organised Crime
It is no coincidence that the political influence of organised crime is a problem in so many countries. Whereas the individual criminal tends to act in secret and aims to avoid detection through stealth, the option of secrecy is not open to organised crime syndicates. If their trade is in drugs, illegal gambling, prostitution, and loan-sharking, they must be able to reach a large number of clients - ordinary citizens - each day. Their activities must be an 'open secret'.
Since crime syndicates cannot hide their activities, they must obtain protection from arrest and punishment through other means. These include violence and bribery. Informers and diligent judges will be threatened and they or their families will be maimed and killed as a warning to others. Policemen and other law-enforcement officials will receive bribes for inside information about police activities and to turn a blind eye to illegal activities involving the sale of drugs on the streets and other forms of vice. However, there is also a third technique used by crime syndicates to obtain protection - to make political contributions to parties and to candidates running for elective office.
There are several possible advantages for criminals from political contributions. If they are seen to have friends in high elective office, the police will be tempted to avoid investigating their activities too thoroughly. The traditional response of police chiefs, when faced with drug dealers and vice kings who appear to enjoy political protection, is to concentrate on arresting and convicting the small fry - low-level drug pushers or prostitutes - while leaving the senior crime bosses untouched.
Political protection may have other uses. If the mayor of a town is responsible for appointing and dismissing the chief of police, then organised criminals may, by contributing handsomely to the mayor's election campaign fund, obtain a decisive influence over this crucial appointment. In other cases, criminals may be able to affect the appointment of judges.
Small Safe-Havens
There will often be a large advantage for crime syndicates to corrupt the politicians of a small town or of a small country. The disparity of wealth between a relatively poor, small country and an international syndicate with huge resources will make it relatively easy for criminals to bribe the top politicians and to take effective control of the government.
The advantages for criminals of creating a safe haven in a small country (often an isolated island state) can be immense. An island where the authorities are almost guaranteed to tolerate their activities may be used as a landing point for small aircraft carrying contraband drugs from producer countries to the rich Western markets. Corrupt diplomats of such countries may be employed to import drugs to their destinations using diplomatic bags, which are not subject to search by customs authorities. Haven countries provide opportunities for criminals to bank their profits and to launder them.
There have been frequent reports about the influence of criminal syndicates on politicians in certain island states in the Caribbean and in the Pacific.
New Democracies
The economic turmoil in new democracies such as Russia has reportedly created conditions in which organised crime flourishes and where criminals have a strong hold on some politicians. The reason for this phenomenon is simple. Economic disruption makes it difficult for parties and for candidates to raise money from ordinary citizens, who are too poor to give donations. At the same time, some criminal organisations have become rich.
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