Hereditary dictatorship

RNW, 26 February 201, by Thijs Papôt

(Photos: Wikipedia)

The fact that Muammar Gaddafi’s seven sons all occupy key positions in Libya confirm the assertion that nepotism is an inevitable part of dictatorship.

The despot’s wife and children can easily double as confidant, security minister or head of the national oil company, and in many cases “heir to the throne”. If a dictator is ousted or brought to justice, it’s usually bad news for the family as well. Saddam Hussein’s sons and his cousin Chemical Ali were all dead before the man himself was executed.

But it can turn out differently. The admiration for a controversial potentate among a section of the population can often benefits his offspring, and vast sums of re-routed government money often find their way into the pockets of a leader’s heirs. Let’s see how some of these family businesses operate around the world.

DR Congo: Mobutu Sese Seko

Photo: Wikipedia

Mobutu Sese Seko (1930-1997) ruled DR Congo for 32 years and renamed it Zaire. After he seized power in 1965, it transpired that his main ambition was to become the richest man in Africa. By systematically plundering the country and its natural resources, he amassed billions at the expense of his starving countrymen. According to anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International, Mobutu managed to siphon off around 5 billion dollars to Swiss bank accounts. While undergoing medical treatment abroad, Mobutu was ousted and never returned to his homeland.

Among Mobutu’s 17 surviving children, the political career of his son Francois Joseph Nzanga Mobutu Ngbangawe stands out. After making a bid to become president of DR Congo in 2006, he took a post as junior agriculture minister. While Switzerland has largely frozen Mobutu’s billion dollar assets, much of the money has proved to be untraceable. The personal fortunes of his children are thought to run in the millions. Part of the family currently resides in France.

Chile: Augusto Pinochet

Photo: Wikipedia

Augusto José Ramón Pinochet Ugarte (1925-2006) came to power in a military coup on 11 September 1973. His government became known for its repressive regime and its neoliberal economic policy, which led to both stability and socio-economic inequality. Opponents condemn Pinochet for the murders and torture that took place under his regime, while supporters believe he saved Chile from a communist dictatorship and brought the country economic progress.

In 2007 an investigation into the embezzlement of millions of dollars of public money led to his widow and five children being detained for a brief period. Two years previously, his wife Lucía Hiriart de Pinochet had already been prosecuted for tax evasion.

Indonesia: Suharto

Photo:Wikipedia

Former General Suharto (1921-2008) came to power in 1965 after a tumultuous struggle within the army top brass. He led his country with an iron hand, but developed an economic policy benefited a large proportion of the population and which provided him with considerable popularity among the new middle class. That popularity came to an abrupt end when Indonesia was hit hard by the Asian crisis in 1997. It probably also vapourised a significant part of his accumulated fortune. After a popular uprising Suharto was forced to resign. His six children still enjoy plenty of wealth, which has been estimated at between 15 and 35 billion US dollars, and that makes the Suhartos the most corrupt regime ever. One of his sons, Tommy Suharto, was sentenced to four years' imprisonment in 2009 for corruption and his involvement in the murder of the new chairman of Golkar, his father’s former party.

Albania: Enver Hoxha

Photo: Wikipedia

Of all the communist dictatorships in Eastern Europe, the terror of the Albanian leader Enver Hoxha (1908-1985) is "beyond description". After his regime broke all ties with Moscow in 1965 due to dissatisfaction with the destalinisation process, Hoxha set an isolationist Stalinist process in motion, upon which even the hardliners in the Kremlin frowned. Six years after his death the country's regime imploded simultaneously with the economy, leading again to years of bitter poverty.

His wife Nexhmije Hoxha lived for years in luxury and extravagance. In 1994 she was sentenced to several years in prison for the crimes of the communist regime. Hoxha's widow is reportedly spending her remaining days in a small apartment with a state pension of $30 per month.

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