A court in Ivory Coast has sentenced 15 former top officials to 20 years each in prison for embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars from the cocoa and coffee industry. The 15, popularly known as “cocoa barons”, were also ordered to pay fines worth $138m. They were convicted of embezzling tax revenues during the rule of former President Laurent Gbagbo. Ivory Coast is the world’s largest producer of cocoa.

The article talks about the acts of a part of a government that was involved in embezzling from the cocoa industry and the impact that the conviction of these individuals had on their nation. The embezzlement lead to the group, which accounts for 40% of global supplies of the natural raw ingredient used in chocolate, in being captured and since production is at a ‘halt’, it negatively affects the economy. How can situation such as this be tackled?