In The Samaritan, Mayor Mossi abuses his power believing he is untouchable. However, his corrupt actions are exposed leading to his arrest. His downfall proves that even influential leaders cannot escape the results of their evil deeds.
At the beginning, Mossi abuses his authority by refusing to launch the Samaritan App (pp. 15–16), and later declines to support it when he realizes it may threaten corrupt leaders (p. 23). He even asks Nicole to write to the Ministry of Education highlighting alleged fundamental errors and his reservations (p. 17). Arrogantly, he claims that as a mayor elected by hundreds of thousands of people, his decisions override those of education officials (p. 17). He orders Nicole and Narine to halt all activities related to the app (p. 16), and while pointing his walking stick at Narine, he threatens that Nicole will suffer consequences if his directives are disobeyed (p. 19). Further, he instructs Harvester to issue a circular banning the app and even suggests hacking and sabotaging it (pp. 27–28). However, despite his efforts, the truth remains accessible on the app and is amplified by mainstream media such as The Caribbean Watch and The Sentinel (p. 21). As a result, Mossi and other leaders panic over possible prosecution (pp. 30, 55). After facing a vote of no confidence, he holds his head in despair and admits he nearly lost consciousness (p. 38). He confesses that the Samaritan has become a nightmare for him and his fellow wrongdoers (p. 37), as his crimes, including municipal capture described as the worst form of corruption where private interests control public policy (p. 39), are exposed. Nicole refuses to be bribed and expresses disappointment in the man entrusted with municipal affairs, even threatening to expose him (p. 61). Eventually, Mossi is forced to apologize and admit his involvement in corruption (pp. 59–60). Despite attempting to escape the dragnet, he is finally arrested (p. 38; p. 138). His humiliation and arrest confirm that no leader, regardless of influence, can ultimately evade accountability for evil deeds.
Mayor Mossi is also accused of corruption and abuse of office including municipal capture where his private interests dictate public policy (p. 39). He admits that, like other municipal leaders, he has skeletons in the closet (pp. 29, 60), and while attempting to minimize his theft of public resources, he argues that whereas others consume the whole loaf, he only takes three slices (pp. 68–69). He is further accused of inflating project costs and 6presiding over substandard municipal works (p. 62). As a result, he is publicly exposed for the worst form of corruption and abuse of office (p. 39). When he attempts to shift blame and seek Nicole’s assistance, she firmly reminds him that the buck stops with him as the overall leader (pp. 59, 60, 62). His crimes are revealed through the Samaritan App and mainstream media outlets such as The Caribbean Watch, The Sentinel, The Insight, and The Spotlight (p. 21), leading to panic (pp. 30, 55) and investigations by the anti-corruption bureau (p. 102). Eventually, Mossi abandons his tough mayoral image, tries to hide behind Nicole during his arrest (p. 138), and is handcuffed and bundled out by the police (pp. 138–139), confirming that his power cannot shield him from justice.
Thirdly, Mayor Mossi is guilty of misusing public funds to conceal scandals and protect his image. He orders Harvester to buy all newspapers carrying damaging headlines using public money (pp. 21, 40) and directs him to organize daily press conferences to sanitize their names (p. 43). Under pressure from Seymour, he misallocates public funds to pay “sitting allowances” for meaningless meetings (p. 34). He further diverts public resources to finance the activities of his Red Eagle Network, a group of young supporters used to cause mayhem and destruction (pp. 45–46, 75). Consequently, although public funds are wasted, the incriminating information remains both in mainstream media and on the Samaritan App (pp. 25–26). Mossi panics when exposed (p. 30), loses consciousness following the vote of no confidence and even loses his appetite (p. 39). His personal details continue to appear on the Samaritan, which he bitterly refers to as “that evil thing” (pp. 25–26). Public outrage intensifies, prompting deeper scrutiny by anti-corruption authorities (p. 102), and eventually he is arrested by Jaden (p. 138), confirming that financial manipulation cannot shield him from justice.
Mossi is guilty of intimidating Ms. Nicole and Ms. Narine in an attempt to silence The Samaritan. He points at Ms. Narine with his walking stick and commands her to ensure his orders are obeyed, warning that Nicole would be in serious trouble if she disobeys (p19). He boasts that he is the mayor elected by thousands and that his directives supersede those of any education official (p17). While barking orders at Nicole, he raises his voice and points at her with the walking stick (p18), then orders her to pen a letter through the principal to stop The Samaritan and protect his office (p18). His ultimatum unsettles Nicole’s students, Alvita and Montana, with Alvita remarking, “We smell trouble” (p18). Later, he reinforces his threats by claiming he is “Mossi-oa-Tunya, the smoke that thunders,” and instructs Nicole to delete every post on The Samaritan that portrays him negatively, warning that she will discover why he bears that name if she refuses. He throws his business card at her and he further orders her to keep him informed about the progress, slamming the door as he leaves (p73). Ms. Narine fears that the “elephant” Mossi will trample on the “rat,” Ms. Nicole (p54). However, when cornered, Mossi drops his tough mayor persona and owns up to his mistakes (p60). He even seeks Nicole’s understanding and help (p60), admits to other leaders that he attempted intimidation but failed because she did not yield (p125), apologises for stepping on her toes (p132), and tells her he is sorry during his visit to Sagrada Secondary School (p59). Despite his earlier coercion, Nicole remains firm; she insists she will only do what is right when ordered to write the letter (p18), reassures her students that all will be well (p50), urges them to stand firm with the app and demand accountability from leaders (p53), and boldly tells the principal that an elephant that kills a rat is not a hero (p57). Ultimately, Mossi’s intimidation collapses as he is arrested (p138), proving that abuse of power attracts inevitable consequences.
Mayor Mossi further exposes his moral decay when he attempts to bribe Nicole in order to silence her and protect himself. He tells Nicole that everyone needs money and invites her to name any amount, however large (p. 61), while also dangling the promise of a lucrative plum job to win her loyalty (pp. 133–134). In a bid to soften her stance, he apologizes for having been hard on her and pleads for her help and understanding (pp. 59–60), openly asking for her assistance to survive the mounting onslaught (p. 71) and later appealing to her mercy (p. 125). However, Nicole remains principled and firmly rejects the bribe (p. 61), expressing deep disappointment that a leader entrusted with fighting corruption would resort to such tactics. Mossi ultimately humiliates himself by vigorously shaking her hand under the false impression that she had accepted the job offer (p. 133), a moment that underscores his desperation and moral collapse. Eventually, the powerful leader is arrested, showing that no one cannot escape the ramifications of bad deeds despite the influence they yield.
Mayor Mossi convenes covert meetings to evade punishment after the app exposes corruption, calling urgent sessions immediately after the exposure (pp. 20, 21, 37). He meets Harvester and Bembe at Madingo Golf, Jungle Room (p. 37), and pressures Justice Ian Jaden to cooperate by reminding him that they all have “skeletons in their closets” (p. 29). The leaders plot to ban or hack the app (pp. 27–28) and even plan to jail their opponents (p. 44). Mossi does not stop Bembe from arresting and blackmailing Nicole (pp. 47, 95), and he deploys the Red Eagle Network and the Ghettoboyz gang to disrupt the vote of no confidence against him (pp. 44–46). In the final meeting, they resolve to offer Nicole a plum job to make her “play ball” (pp. 125, 133). However, the meetings degenerate into mutual accusations (pp. 34–35), Seymour and Ted threaten to hound him out of office (pp. 35–36), and his rivals contemplate a vote of no confidence (pp. 43, 101), leaving him extremely worried (p. 38). Meanwhile, Nicole’s case collapses and attracts massive public support (p. 100), and she ultimately rejects the job offer (p. 135), hastening Mossi’s downfall. Despite arrogantly branding himself “the smoke that thunders,” Mossi is eventually arrested, handcuffed, and bundled out of office, sealing his political humiliation and downfall (pp. 138-139)
Lastly, Mayor Mossi habitually shifts blame to evade responsibility for his corruption. He accuses fellow leaders such as Ramdaye, Seymour, Ted, Jaden, and Basdeo while insisting the problem lies with them, even though ultimate accountability rests with him (pp. 62–70). He blames citizens for electing “evil” leaders and later complaining (p. 71), trivializes his theft by claiming he only takes “three extra slices of bread” while others consume the entire loaf and wrapper (pp. 68–69), and ironically refuses to convict corrupt officials. When confronted by the anti-corruption boss, he attempts to hide behind Nicole (p. 138), urges Jaden to arrest Seymour and Ted, and deflects the grain scandal to Ramdaye and Basdeo. He further misuses public funds to unleash the Red Eagle Network to disrupt meetings aimed at removing him (p. 45). Nonetheless, the pressure overwhelms him to the point that he loses consciousness and cannot eat (p. 39), the rival team regroups after the chaos he causes (p. 101), and despite all attempts at deflection, he is arrested for corruption and abuse of office (p. 138), cuffed and bundled out even after grandly calling himself “Mossi-oa-Tunya, the smoke that thunders” (p. 138).
Mossi’s rise and fall demonstrate that authority and influence cannot shield a corrupt leader from accountability. Despite intimidation, bribery, manipulation, and blame-shifting, he is ultimately arrested and disgraced, proving that wrongdoing inevitably attracts consequences.
