A federal grand jury is investigating Jefferson County bond deals and Birmingham Mayor Larry Langford's financial dealings.
Birmingham News; Sunday, May 18, 2008
THE ISSUE: A federal grand jury is investigating Jefferson County bond deals and Birmingham Mayor Larry Langford's financial dealings.
Anyone following the story of Jefferson County bond business and former Commission President Larry Langford's private financial deals can hardly be shocked at the news.
Yes, a federal grand jury is investigating. Witnesses called this past week included Steve Sayler, the county's former finance director, and Norm Davis, a county financial adviser during Langford's term. Apparently, the grand jury is covering some of the same ground already plowed by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Again, no big surprise there.
The SEC filed a civil suit last month accusing Langford of directing millions of dollars in county bond deals to a longtime friend and associate (Bill Blount/Al LaPierre) in exchange for cash and other benefits. While they have yet to be proved in court, the accusations are damming and the possible criminal implications are clear.
Public officials are on decidedly dangerous ground, and rightly so, when they use their positions to enrich themselves and reward their benefactors.
The picture painted by the SEC's complaint, if accurate, is not one that should please any taxpayer. Its essence: The SEC claims Langford helped his friend earn $6.7 million in fees from county bond business, and the friend gave more than $156,000 to Langford. Terrible, if true.
Sadly, this is not entirely new territory for Jefferson County residents, who in recent years have seen three former county commissioners convicted of public corruption charges.
But that shouldn't color this investigation. The grand jury's work is to decide whether criminal charges are warranted in the case before it, without regard to what has happened before. Even if charges are brought, the accused will remain innocent under the law unless prosecutors convince a trial jury otherwise.
The stakes are high. If laws were broken, justice demands that the offenders be caught and punished. If laws were not broken, justice demands that those who are under suspicion be cleared and allowed to go on with their lives.
The process needs to be thorough and as speedy as possible.
Langford and his friends are not the only ones with an interest in the outcome of this grand jury investigation. Since Langford is now the mayor of Birmingham, what happens to him could have huge implications for the city.
And the people of Jefferson County, who have watched their government teeter at the edge of bankruptcy because of risky bond deals, have more than a passing interest in getting to the truth of this matter.
The grand jury's work is a necessary step in that direction.
Original Post