Kleptocracy

Kleptocracy (or sometimes Cleptocracy) (root: Klepto+cracy) is a form of government. It means literally "rule by thieves". It is the end-point of political corruption, where no pretence of honesty remains, and the government of a country exists solely to enrich its rulers and to perpetuate their rule. Most kleptocracies are dictatorships or some other autocratic form of government because other forms of government make theft more difficult to accomplish and conceal.

The following governments (in alphabetical order by country name) are usually regarded as kleptocracies:

• The government of Chiang Kai-Shek in China
• The government of François Duvalier in Haiti [1]
• The government of President Suharto in Indonesia [1]
• The government of Saddam Hussein in Iraq
• The government of Sani Abacha in Nigeria [1]
• The government of Ferdinand Marcos in the Philippines [1]
• The government of Nicolae Ceauşescu in Romania [1]
• The government of Idi Amin in Uganda
• The government of Mobutu Sese Seko in the former Zaire

Kleptocrats often use money laundering and anonymous banking as a way of protecting and concealing their ill-gotten gains.