Doesn't sound so "mock" to me, except in the mocking of pretensions.  Perhaps the real problem is that the honors boys are too embarrassed to admit they have been had and thus prefer to be bailed out at the expense of everyone's future rather than admitting the truth, prosecuting and extraditing, if required, the guilty, and cleaning up the system.  Just as long as they can keep up appearances.

"It is not necessary to have hope in order to persevere."