DATA A DAY: Repackaging relief

DISASTERS BRING OUT the best in people; sometimes they also bring out the worst.

In past disasters, some politicians have been found to be repackaging relief goods by plastering their own labels on them to make it appear as if the goods came from their own pockets. What has been galling is the fact that in some of these incidents, the relief goods came from public coffers, meaning these were actually goods coming from the people. In many ways, it is a kind of theft, to the highest degree.

However, no one has ever been brought to court for these incidents, which raises a question that is today’s Data a Day:

Is it illegal for anyone, whether a public official or a private entity, to misrepresent the source of relief goods meant for disaster areas?

For the answer to that question, click this link, or go to the PCIJ’s MoneyPolitics Online website here.