Recent press coverage of the Brian Ahakuelo case buried the fact that it was the union, not the federal government, that stopped Ahakuelo’s crimes (“Ex-union official might get 14-year sentence,” Star-Advertiser, June 20).
By the time the U.S. Department of Labor brought criminal charges against Ahakuelo, the union had already held internal hearings and removed him from office. Millions of dollars were rebated to members, and the parent organization provided significant financial support to the local union to ensure its financial stability. Before the government took action, the union had already cleaned its own house.
The real story here is about how a union uncovered the corrupt actions of an individual and stopped the corruption through strict enforcement of its own rules.
This case proves that the IBEW was far more effective at addressing internal corruption than the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. Congress, any state government or any private corporation has been.
If government officials were held to the same high ethical standards the government requires of unions, several Supreme Court justices and many politicians would be facing criminal charges like those brought against Ahakuelo.
Eric Gill
McCully-Moiliili
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