When people of influence are caught with envelopes of cash, it rarely ends well for them
It’s about as grubby and corrupt a scene as you can find in popular culture; the trope of “envelopes of cash” is often used in films and television shows to depict bribery and corruption. It has become a cliché, the shortcut to symbolise under-the-table deals and illicit transactions.
Now it seems the newspapers this week will be full of stories of envelopes of cash linked to SNP politicians. allegations have been made that officials of the Scottish National Party (SNP) accepted envelopes stuffed with cash from a relative of one of the party’s MPs, who shall remain nameless.
The letter, sent to police Scotland, says that “tens of thousands of pounds” were donated over several years, handing over “cash in white envelopes”.
No doubt more will come out soon: but it might be interesting context to see how it’s turned out when people have been caught with envelopes of cash elsewhere in various scandals in the past.
Cash-for-questions
This envelope-based scandal involved members of the British Parliament in the 1990s. The most notable figure was Neil Hamilton, a former Conservative minister. The scandal was centred around allegations that Hamilton and another MP, Tim Smith, had received money in exchange for asking parliamentary questions on behalf of Mohamed Al Fayed, the owner of Harrods.
According to Alison Bozek, Al Fayed’s former personal assistant, on at least three occasions, large cash payments were made in brown envelopes to Neil Hamilton. The money, believed to be in £50 notes, was handed over in white envelopes with Hamilton’s name scrawled on them, which were then placed in brown envelopes and left for Hamilton to collect.
Hamilton denied these allegations, sued Al Fayed for libel, and lost. He also lost his seat in parliament, His legal fees drove him to bankruptcy, and he is currently the leader of UKIP.
China’s Pacific Envelope of Influence
In a letter to the national parliament, the president of Micronesia, David Panuelo, accused China of bribing officials in the Pacific nation with envelopes of cash, free flights, and alcohol in return for backing if it invades Taiwan. Panuelo detailed the underhand tactics of “bribery, psychological warfare, and blackmail” allegedly used by Beijing to gain a foothold in Micronesia. He accused Chinese officials of trying to undermine his authority by offering payoffs of cash, smartphones, free flights, and alcohol to members of his government.
“China’s Political Warfare is successful in so many arenas that we are bribed to be complicit and bribed to be silent. That’s a heavy word, but it is an accurate description regardless. What else do you call it when an elected official is giving an envelope filled with money after a meal at the PRC Embassy?”
David Panuelo
Panuelo will not be president of Micronesia for much longer and believes these envelopes stuffed with cash are being used the pace the way for the imminent PRC invasion of Taiwan.
The PRC continues to operate with impunity in the region.
Qatargate
“‘Envelopes stuffed with €50,000 handed out by Italian MEP'”
Pier Antonio Panzeri, a Socialist member of the European Parliament from 2004 to 2019, was filmed in his Brussels home giving three packages embossed with the face of Santa Claus to a trade union boss, Luca Visentini, comparing himself to a character from Ocean’s Eleven during the exchange. This incident was part of illicit lobbying by Qatar and Morocco to influence political and economic decisions being made by the European Parliament.
Visentini claimed that the envelopes given to him by Panzeri contained approximately €50,000 but that he considered them
“A donation to cover the campaign costs of trade union representatives ahead of a vote for a new head of the International Trade Union Confederation”
Visentini
– a vote which Visentini won shortly afterwards.
Panzeri eventually admitted his guilt and is currently on release from prison with an electronic tag.
FIFA Cash Bribe Scandal
Who could forget? In 2011, FIFA’s dirty money trail was revealed in pictures of cash in brown envelopes offered to members after a presentation by then-presidential candidate Mohamed Bin Hammam.
Fred Lunn, vice-president of the Bahamas FA, was one of the first to go up to the room, where he was handed a large brown envelope. When he opened it ‘stacks of $100 fell out and onto the table.
I was stunned to see this cash,’
Fred Lunn
Bin Hammam was found guilty of bribery and banned from all international and national football activities for life.
Scandals involving “envelopes of cash” are not just confined to film or drama; They are a global phenomenon, reflecting corruption and unethical practices within political and institutional systems.
These scandals underscore the need for stronger anti-corruption measures, greater transparency, and stricter enforcement of ethical standards in public life, and we can be confident that police Scotland will be diligent in gathering the evidence for a court to establish the innocence or guilt of this Scottish MP.
References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cash-for-questions_affair
https://www.theguardian.com/uk/1999/nov/30/hamiltonvalfayed.stuartmillar
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2022/12/19/envelopes-stuffed-50000-handed-italian-mep
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2011/may/30/fifa-crisis-brown-envelopes-stuffed-money
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-12850810
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/4798809.stm
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/special/politics97/news/07/0717/hamil.shtml
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2022/12/19/envelopes-stuffed-50000-handed-italian-mep
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