The Versutian Federation v. Brys Est

The Court notes that the Defendant Brys Est has pled Guilty to a charge of Malfeasance, in this case for offering to appoint a citizen Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs in exchange for favored status and privileges in another region's Discord server.

No one in this case contends that the Defendant is innocent of the charges against him. Despite the length of time it took us to get here, the Defendant's guilt is without question, making this case entirely about how severe the consequences should be. Defense is right to argue that severity of offense should be relevant in determining severity of punishment, and it is a clear aspect of this region's Legal Code that punishment should fit the crime. Quantifying the consequences of breaching the public's trust in its government, however, is a thorny issue. The Court cannot simply look the other way just because an offense is deemed to be small, when that offense clearly involves leveraging one's power for personal gain. The Ministers in this region are public servants and their actions carry a lot of weight in how this region functions and how its future is decided. Appointing a Deputy Minister could one day determine who will ascend to the top of a Ministry in the event the Minister vacates or, more relevant to this case, is removed from office. The people who occupy these offices should be worthy of the trust the region places in them, not worthy of a Minister's confidence that they will provide him or her with some sort of advantage.

The Defense unconvincingly argues that this particular case of Malfeasance is not malicious but is careless. I would agree only that there spring to mind many other forms of Malfeasance that are more severe and would bring forth far harsher sentences. To dismiss this incident as carelessness, however, is to be accurate while entirely missing the point. It was careless of the Defendant to offer quid pro quo in such a blatant and easily discoverable way, indeed to even make the offer at all. But the act was still an act of Malfeasance, and one that has been seen countless times in history and is so commonplace that it is understood to be akin to something out of a class titled "Corruption 101." I do sympathize with the Defense when it comes to trying to determine what is the appropriate punishment for Malfeasance on this level. It would have been useful for future cases, and helpful in this case, if either side had provided a specific justification for the punishment they felt was deserved. Prosecution clearly identified a length of time but did not give reasoning for why that time was appropriate, while Defense simply asked for less, no specifics offered.

The Court notes that an 8 month ban on holding office is equivalent to 4 election cycles. The Defendant offered a position which typically has a lifespan of 1-2 cycles. Because it is now the third day of the month, an office ban extending any number of months would render the Defendant unable to run for office in anything other than a special election of the month the end of the ban falls under. 

IT IS ORDERED that Brys Est be removed from the office of Minister of Foreign Affairs effective at 11:59:59 PM EDT on 03 July 2018 and be barred from holding any regional office in the region for a period no less than 4 months, which the Court has determined will end at 11:59:59 PM EST on 03 November 2018.

This concludes the Court's business in this case.