Why do we call corruption “smartness” when it benefits us but condemn it when it benefits someone else?

More troublingly, we have developed a culture in which the arrest or invitation of a public figure involved in corruption scandals for questioning can quickly become a political mobilisation exercise.

When an alleged government official is arrested or invited by an investigative body to assist with a corruption investigation, supporters quickly gather around, organise demonstrations or portray the investigation as political persecution before the facts will even be established.

For this reason, fighting corruption cannot simply mean arresting people after public money has disappeared.