Owner takes responsibility for manager.
Here's a capitalist who imposed respondeat superior on himself.
CB
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The Guardian (London)
January 16, 1999
The Guardian Foreign Page
'It wasn't unlike going camping' says volunteer hostage
Norbert Reinhart, who owns Terramundo Drilling Inc, left Canada three months ago on a secret mission to Colombia. He was to trade places with a company foreman who had been kidnapped in June by Marxist guerrillas. His mining firm had a contract at a gold exploration site in the north east.
He returned a hero this week, as Canadians marvelled at his courage and sense of responsibility. 'I didn't see any alternative,' the laconic Mr Reinhart said in an interview after landing in Toronto and having a private reunion with his wife, Casey, and his two daughters, Robin, aged seven, and Molly, two. 'I thought it was the right thing to do, the easiest thing to do.' Those who know Mr Reinhart describe him as a deeply moralistic man, down-to-earth and passionate about his work and his family. His tone is matter-of-fact, lacking in drama.
He played down the hardship of being held captive. He said he never feared for his safety because kidnappers in Colombia rarely kill their hostages, who are worth thousands of dollars alive and nothing if dead.
Within minutes of landing, he talked about returning to Colombia because of its business opportunities. In fact, in describing his ordeal, Mr Reinhart made it sound like a business operation, carefully planned and cooly executed. It might be modesty. But it appears likely that his actions were motivated, at least in part, by business concerns.
Kidnapping is so common in Colombia that an informal set of rules has been worked out for how to proceed. Most companies carry insurance covering kidnap and ransom. If Mr Reinhart's did not have it, he would have been personally liable for the fate of Edward Leonard, a drill foreman.
There have been allegations that Mr Reinhart traded places in order to secure his company drilling rights in the area. But he said: 'There is so much misinformation on this point, it would be premature to have an answer.' He said he was frustrated with the slow progress in getting Mr Leonard released and thought the situation would be resolved more quickly if he took his place.
He also felt that he was going into a relatively predictable situation. Hostage takings by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, are generally fundraising ventures, not political statements. 'They killed hostages, but in less than 2 per cent of cases,' Mr Reinhart said. 'It wasn't unlike going camping.' But Mr Leonard, aged 60, and his young family were his real motivation, he said.
The efforts of a Catholic priest who operated as an intermediary and C$ 70,000 (about A29,000) ransom led to his release. That was in addition to the $ 100,000 he gave to the guerrillas upon arrival. In total, he says he is out of pocket about A102,600.
His freedom, he said, tastes like all the flavours in the world mixed together, 'and I've got in a few good sips.'
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