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BNP Paribas in the dock No way to treat a criminal 不該這樣對待罪犯
譯者@wendy220 WHAT is the appropriate penalty for a firm that abets genocide? Roughly a year’s profit and the sacking of a dozen employees, the American authorities concluded this week. At any rate, that is the punishment meted out to BNP Paribas, a French bank that pleaded guilty to helping the Sudanese government sell oil, clearing proceeds through New York in violation of American sanctions. At the time government-backed militias in the region of Darfur were massacring civilians by the tens of thousands. 對一個輔助大屠殺的企業(yè)，怎樣的處罰是適當?shù)哪?？本周美國當局裁定，對法巴銀行罰以其一年的收益并裁去它12名員工，無論如何，這就是對這家法國銀行的處罰。法巴銀行被控幫助蘇丹通過紐約清算石油收益——與此同時，政府支持的民兵組織正在達爾富爾地區(qū)屠殺成千上萬的平民——這違反了美國的制裁令，銀行對此供認不諱。 In spite of French politicians’ predictable squeals, it is hard to feel any sympathy for BNP. The bank played a pivotal role in fostering a monstrous regime. Most of the money it helped channel to Sudan went to the army, which in turn used the cash to finance rape and pillage. In the immediate aftermath of the crisis in Darfur, in 2006, BNP’s Swiss branch held around half of Sudan’s foreign-currency assets. Sudan’s president later became the first sitting national leader to be charged with war crimes by the International Criminal Court. 可想而知，法國政客連連叫屈。盡管如此，我們也很難同情法巴銀行，因為它在建立殘暴政權(quán)中起到了重要作用。銀行轉(zhuǎn)到蘇丹的資金大多到了軍隊手中，軍隊又用這些金錢助長士兵奸淫擄掠。緊隨2006年達爾富爾危機過后的一段時間內(nèi)，法巴銀行的瑞士分行掌管了近一半的蘇丹外幣資產(chǎn)。蘇丹總統(tǒng)隨后成為了第一個被國際刑事法院控以戰(zhàn)爭罪的在任國家領(lǐng)導(dǎo)。 But the guilt of a suspect and the justice of a cause do not make a tribunal fair. And America’s system for pursuing errant banks, especially foreign ones, is anything but fair. This case, like most, did not go to court. BNP negotiated a settlement with regulators and prosecutors rather than risk a trial. No doubt the ugliness of its crimes played a role. But even if it had had a better case, BNP would have had little choice but to settle. Defeat in court might have led to the loss of its American banking licence—a death sentence for a big international bank. America’s prosecutors can also wield the threat of criminal charges against individual bankers. 但是嫌疑人有罪和事業(yè)正義并不意味著判決公正。美國司法對違法銀行——特別是國外違法銀行——的判決絕非公正。此案和大多數(shù)案件一樣沒有訴諸法庭。法巴銀行選擇了和監(jiān)管者及公訴人進行庭外和解，而非冒對鋪公堂之險。無疑，其罪行之惡劣是因素之一。但即使情況對銀行更為有利，除了和解它也別無選擇。如若敗訴，法巴銀行的美國銀行業(yè)執(zhí)照可能被吊銷，這對大型國際銀行來說相當于是判了死刑。美國檢察官也可以利用刑事指控威脅銀行家個人。 Bank against the wall Not only were BNP’s tormentors, such as Benjamin Lawsky, New York’s politically ambitious banking regulator, able more or less to dictate their terms, they also had an incentive to make the fine as big as possible because the agencies involved divvied up much of it among themselves. Mr Lawsky’s outfit gets $2 billion, four times its annual budget, which it will triumphantly deposit in New York state’s depleted coffers. 折磨法巴銀行的監(jiān)管者們——比如政治野心宏大的紐約銀行業(yè)監(jiān)管者本杰明.勞斯基（Benjamin Lawsky）——不僅多多少少地能夠決定對銀行的處罰辦法，而且很有動力使對銀行罰款的數(shù)額達到可能的最大值，因為多數(shù)罰款是被相關(guān)機構(gòu)瓜分的。勞斯基的機構(gòu)獲得了20億美元，是其年均預(yù)算的四倍，該機構(gòu)將會得意洋洋地把這筆錢存入紐約空虛的金庫中。 There are no meaningful checks on this process, let alone a plausible procedure for BNP to appeal. Bank bosses cannot even publicly criticise deals they agree to under extreme duress. No precedent is set and no guidance provided as to the limits of the law and the proportionality of the punishment. 上述過程不受監(jiān)管，法巴銀行也就更不必奢望上訴了。銀行行長甚至不能公開批評他們在極度威脅下同意的條款。至于法律有什么限制、處罰的輕重怎樣，既沒有先例也沒有參考。 So even if BNP fully deserves its punishment, the legal system that meted it out is closer to an extortion racket than justice. France’s economy minister, Arnaud Montebourg, has compared America’s pursuit of BNP to “economic warfare”. In other words, a bank that catered to mass murderers has had some success in portraying itself as a victim. Any process that can make BNP’s dealings with Sudan look anything less than shameful must be very flawed indeed. 即使法巴銀行完全罪有應(yīng)得，審判它的法律系統(tǒng)仍更像是在敲詐勒索而非公正司法。法國經(jīng)濟部長阿諾德.蒙特布爾（Arnaud Montebourg）把美國對法巴銀行的追責與“經(jīng)濟戰(zhàn)爭”相比較。換句話說，輔助兇手的銀行在把自己塑造成受害者方面獲得了些許成功。能使法巴銀行與蘇丹的交易看上去不那么恥辱的程序一定是錯漏百出的。 From the print edition: Leaders |
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