Commonwealth Corruption Should Not Go Unpunished

One of the least surprising items of news over the holiday weekend was the arrest of Suresh Kalmadi, the Chairman of the Commonwealth Games staged, if that's the right word, in New Delhi last October.

This is for criminal conspiracy in the awarding of Games contracts, including a £450K deal with a London firm over the staging of the Queen's Baton Relay and a contract with Swiss Timing.

I was in India before, during and after the Games and was privy to the consternation, embarrassment and disorganisation of the event produced to the general public and, in particular, the Indian media.

Even then allegations which appear now to be correct were flying around. For me the whole affair was massively distasteful. The Commonwealth Games should have been a wonderful showcase for the largest country in the Commonwealth.

Instead it was a litany of botched jobs, embarrassing incidents and negative stories of unfinished facilities, breaking bridges and scoreboards, faeces-filled athletes accommodation and huge amounts of money spent in a country where the vast majority still live below the poverty line.

The contempt shown by so few to so many in that beautiful country is beyond belief. And the nonchalance to the street villages that built up even around the stadia (and right outside the media centre) was staggering.
If it can be proved that officials were guilty of the charges then I hope they throw the book at them.