The Rediff Special/Anant Gaundalkar

Tainted giants

P V Narasimha Rao is the first Indian prime minister to face trial in a corruption case. But he is not the only head of state with whom the law has caught up.

Several world leaders have been implicated for various irregularities, including corruption which is at the top of the table, murder charges and other crimes.

Though 11 prominent world leaders figure in the list, the most recent case is that of former Pakistan prime minister Benazir Bhutto who waddles in a welter of charges, including corruption.

Coming back to Rao, is it not ironic that the former premier himself is in the dock after several key persons in his administration -- remember his communication minister Sukh Ram and the Jain hawala case which dragged several top leaders to court? -- faced serious corruption charges?

As one awaits the outcome of these trials, a quick recap on the world leaders who have faced serious charges:

Name, country & post	Particulars
P V Narasimha Rao	He became the first prime minister in Indian history to face trial in a corruption case -- in the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha MPs bribery case.
Kakuei Tanaka	Bribery charges were proved against the former Japanese PM in an arms deal with an American company. Sentenced to rigorous imprisonment.
Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto	In September 1977, the Pakistani president was charged with conspiracy to murder a political opponent. He was put on trial and sentenced to death in March 1978, spending more than a year in the death cell at Rawalpindi before being hanged on April 5, 1979.
Richard Nixon	Increasing evidence suggested that this US president had connived in the Watergate scandal. Admitting that he had attempted to cover up the original crime at Watergate, he resigned on August 9, 1974, becoming the first American president to do so. His successor Gerald Ford granted him a full pardon.
Giulio Andreotti	In 1993, the former Italian premier was among the many leading figures who faced investigation for their alleged association with the mafia. In July 1994, he was formally charged for being a member of the mafia.
Hideki Tojo	Until the summer of 1944, the then Japanese prime minister was supposed to be a military dictator. Subsequently, he was tried as a major war criminal and hanged on December 23, 1948.
Getulio Dornellas Vargas	When the Brazilian president tried to assert himself in the fourth year of his term, he was falsely accused of ordering the murder of a newspaper editor. On August 24, 1954, he committed suicide rather than bow to the demands from the military that he resign.
Idi Amin	Early in 1977, the Ugandan president was accused of causing the sudden death of the country's archbishop. In April 1979, he was forced to flee from the country, seeking refuge in Libya. His rule had ruined the Ugandan economy.
Mohammed Musaddiq	In August 1952, the Iranian PM sought and obtained dictatorial powers. Reality fell so short of promise that, on August 13, 1953, the Shah dismissed him. Later, he was put on trial, charged with constitutional malpractice and sentenced to three years in solitary confinement.
Benazir Bhutto	During her second term in the office, the Pakistan PM was accused of malpractice, corruption and disorder in the country.
Hastings Kamuzu Banda	In January 1995, the former Malawi president was placed under house arrest for allegedly ordering the murder of four political rivals in 1983. A jury acquitted him of the charge in December 1995.

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