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398.05 // OUTRAGE over senator’s sentence for corruption scandal

Protests erupt across the Republic as a three-year community service sentence has been given to Senator Arkanus of Pantora, found guilty of illegally spending 13,000,000 credits of state funds.

Senator Arkanus, who was a leading figure of the senate’s anti-corruption league during the Galactic Recession, has since been in a five-year battle with the Supreme Court of the Galactic Republic over multiple allegations of bribery, abuse of powers and fraud.

The Supreme Court justified its sentence with the following statement: ”

“The Supreme Court has acted on this matter according to the legal definitions of existing codes of conduct, while taking into consideration the character and good that Senator Arkanus has provided for not only his community, but the community of the Republic.”

Critics of the Supreme Court, such as ex-governor Laa’ken Ruun, describe the sentence as “a disgusting misuse of justice… symbolic of the heart of corruption in our Republic”. Lord Ruun himself currently undergoing investigation for allegations of war crimes during the Vohai Civil War by the Supreme Court’s investigative body.

However, critics outside of the political sphere of the Republic seem outraged by the disparity of sentencing charges by the Republic’s legal code. Holonews spoke with Coruscant lawyer Grangram Bibblesman, a criminal lawyer that has “fought tooth and nail” for “far less egregious crimes”, but his defendants have often received far greater penalties.

“Believe me, my clients have stole nowhere near 13 million credits, and they rarely get away with no prison time. This is inequality before the law, plain and simple. It’s telling that, because of the ‘sensitivity’ of the case, the transcripts won’t be released for another twenty years! All I want to know is just how many of those judges were close friends of Senator Arkanus, hm?”