Corruption Crimes in the Commercial and National Banks of Ethiopia: Situating Convicted Cases into Socio-Theoretical Themes

Abstract

This qualitative study is concerned with 31 banking corruption crimes. It describes the modi-operandi of the crimes and situates into some themes of several sociological theorists. It argues the crimes were committed as officials of Commercial and National Banks of Ethiopia and those of other government institutions together with business people competed for livelihood goals. To own or use money/gold that belonged to the banks or customers, they used authority/qualification and comfortably manipulated methods of bank transactions and transfers which, due to the nature of money, did not require its immediate physical exchanges or deliveries. Other than by purposive/true contracts having no supernatural power binding force, the criminal acts were further facilitated by charming power of money/its economy: in money economy, illegal means of earning money or owning other valuable assets remain unquestioned, self-control and ethical concerns have been minimized. The criminals used/owned the properties in socially unapproved ways. They committed the crimes to secure economic assets but the acts could not be considered economic actions. To minimize banking corruption crimes, there should be stricter control on accounts, genuineness of bank transactions including those involving foreign currencies, transaction instruments (forms), documents supplied to secure loans or other payments. Gold, even caught as being trafficked should without delay be delivered to the National Bank. By way of salaries regularly adjusted to inflation, “secure existence” of bank and non-bank officials handling money transactions should be ensured. Moreover, corruption controlling coercive laws should at least partially be redirected to social sanctions.