Steve Vizard has apologized publicly to "my friends, to my colleagues, to my family and to the public at large". Here is an individual in public life. He has apologized in a public way to friends, colleagues and family who can personally show forgiveness to him should they choose. With them, he will also have opportunity, one presumes, to make a more intimate apology. How can or how will the 'public at large' demonstrate if and how they forgive Steve Vizard. Already there are queries about the penalty he will receive compared with that received by Rene Rivkin. Vizard's crime is seen to be a more serious breach of law and trust because he used information gained as a Director of a company. Rivkin did not. He received informaton in the course of someone coming to look at his house for sale. Quite a difference. Vizard was a person who had made himself very popular and ingratiated himself with people. Rivkin was a problematic personality with a troubling childhood and troubling history ending tragically in suicide. Could some people have taken the opportunity to settle scores with Rivkin while others took pains to see Vizard avoided prison? These questions may or not become clear - but time will provide answers as natural justice works it relentless way forward.
