Bribery

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Concept.png Bribery 
(fraud,  Statecraft)Rdf-entity.pngRdf-icon.png
Bribery.png
Influencing people by illicit gifts, very commonly of money.

Bribery is influencing people by illicit gifts, very commonly of money. In most jurisdictions it is a crime, although often selective prosecution renders it de facto legal.

Official narrative

Bribery is generally illegal, and distinct from legal payments for good and services rendered.

Concerns

Bribery cannot easily be definitively separated from payment for intangible services rendered. Large "speaking fees" for particular individuals have become an established norm in cultures such as the US. In 2013, Hillary Clinton, for example, was paid $675,000 for 3 speeches to Goldman Sachs.[1][2]

Arms deals

Bribery is a routine part of (almost?) all large international arms deals, such as Al Yamamah.

Drugs deals

In 2019, US billionaire John Kapoor "was found guilty of running a wide-ranging scheme to bribe doctors nationwide by retaining them to act as speakers at sham events at restaurants ostensibly meant to educate clinicians about its fentanyl spray, Subsys."[3]


 

Examples

Page nameDescription
Lockheed/Bribery scandalsA series of bribes made by officials of the U.S. aerospace company Lockheed from the late 1950s to the 1970s in the process of negotiating the sale of aircraft.
Pay to play

 

Related Quotation

PageQuoteAuthorDate
Peter GøtzscheBribery is routine and involves large amounts of money. Almost every type of person who can affect the interests of the industry has been bribed: doctors, hospital administrators, cabinet ministers, health inspectors, customs officers, tax assessors, drug registration officials, factory inspectors, pricing officials and political parties. In Latin America, posts as ministers of health are avidly sought, as these ministers are almost invariably rich with wealth coming from the drug industry. In the beginning of this chapter, I asked the question whether we are seeing a lone bad apple now and then, or whether pretty much the whole basket is rotten. What we are seeing is organised crime in an industry that is completely rotten.”Peter Gøtzsche2013
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References