Mello Franco: the myth of the benevolent corruptor

247 - "In the role of a suspect, [Eike Batista] tries to portray himself as a victim of the system that brought him to the top. Before turning himself in to the police, the former billionaire relied on the myth of the 'good corruptor.' He repeated the fable that innocent businessmen are forced to corrupt evil politicians." writes columnist Bernardo Mello Franco "This Sunday. 'Eike's statements suggest that he defended normality and transparency, but was forced to pay bribes to survive. This discourse omits the fact that corruption is a two-way street. The corruptor buys an illegal advantage over competitors and seeks a reward greater than the bribe,' he adds."

"In a single transaction with the Sérgio Cabral government, the owner of the X Group paid R$ 37,5 million for a plot of land valued at R$ 1,2 billion. Given the profit from the operation, the US$ 16,5 million bribe to the PMDB politician seems like a mere tip."

In the decision ordering Eike's arrest, Judge Marcelo Bretas pointed out that there is no corrupt individual without a corrupter, and vice versa. "While the figure of the public official who allows himself to be corrupted draws our attention, we must not forget the figure of the private individual, person or company that promotes or consents to contributing to the misconduct," he wrote.

"One positive development from Lava Jato is that mega-businessmen, contractors, and lobbyists accustomed to bribing politicians have also begun to be punished."