That doesn't make sense,
decodx created his account after the introduction of the Merit system, and earned all his Merit by himself.
What makes no sense is to presuppose veracity to what the OP says, and what you say is only part of it. He says:
This could be due to the fact that they were promoted before the introduction of the merit system or they simply bought a high-ranked account to spew rubbish on the forum.
From someone who has been caught breaking the rules, such as having joined campaigns with his alts and says this:
I just want to know why you chose to cheat on the review campaigns if you have other jobs and businesses?
For fun. Trust me.
I wouldn't presume much veracity in anything. This thread and the other's responses are full of excuses of a little kid who has been caught red handed and doesn't know how to get out of the situation.