Special prosecutor Dan K. Webb arrives at Leighton Criminal Courts Building for arraignment of Richard J. "R.J." Vanecko on involuntary manslaughters charges in death of David Koschman Monday, December 10, 2012. | Sun-Times Media
EDITORIAL: Clean justice comes with big price tag
Published April 21, 2013
What’s the price of public corruption?
So far, $1 million.
That’s the bill special prosecutor Dan Webb submitted last week for his law firm’s investigation into the 2004 death of David Koschman, a probe that has resulted in a manslaughter charge – eight years later – against a nephew of former Mayor Richard M. Daley.
Webb continues to investigate if and why police and prosecutors way back then failed to pursue the case. The obvious suspicion is clout – Daley’s nephew had it.
Webb says he and his firm will no longer bill the taxpayers, and that’s nice of them, but it shouldn’t be allowed to set a precedent. Public corruption cases demand the greatest scrutiny by our best attorneys at any price.
A cleaner criminal justice system doesn’t come cheap.
Not in Chicago, anyway.
