One of the strangest things I have noticed about humans is how we never stop being greedy. It is something we consciously or unconsciously drown ourselves in. Sometimes I sit and wonder why the richest people in the world want to make more money. I mean why not just make use of the one you have, it’ll last for all your generations. The person you speak of got drowned in greed. He didn’t even have enough funds to purse political power but he wanted it so badly and couldn’t wait till his business can stand the loss.
That is human nature, humans basically will not be enough with what they have, especially for those who never feel satisfied and enough with what they have, they will continue to look for money until they die. That's why there is a proverb that says "money makes people blind" and it is true that money makes people forget themselves and the people around them - they will continue to satisfy their stomachs and don't care about how they get the money. And that is the reality today.