What is state capture and why does it matter?
Originally published by Africa | The Guardian — Read the original article →
Different forms are distinguished by who exercises control and which institutions they target
Two crypto-billionaires pour millions into a political party and its wannabe prime minister in return for legislation that favours their businesses. A drug trafficker’s bribe to a senior official buys a cocaine shipment safe passage across a border. Human traffickers installing loyalists in the agencies mandated to stop them. A foreign power uses evidence of a president’s sexual abuse of children to dictate government policy. An influential lobby group donates to both a ruling party and opposition members to hedge their bets on influence. All are routes to state capture.