"We
cannot assure our development on our own," stated France's pet dictator
and Africa's longest-serving ruler, Omar Bongo. The Gabonese leader was
talking about national economic development, but he might just as well
have been talking about his own personal economic development.
Transparency International's French chapter singled out
Bongo, who died this month at 73 after ruling his country for 41 years,
for a spectacular misappropriation of state funds.
