[vested interest] n (1818) 1 a: an interest (as a title to an estate) carrying a legal right of present or future enjoyment b: a right vested in an employee under a pension plan
2: a special concern or stake in maintaining or influencing a condition, arrangement, or action esp. for selfish ends
3: one having a vested interest in something; specif: a group enjoying benefits from an existing economic or political privilege