Feature: C is for Corruption

Like a Coca-Cola [1] advert, corruption is everywhere. From Lagos to London, Dubai to Switzerland, to witness it first hand is as easy as spotting a Vauxhall Corsa in sunny Essex. But where there are givers and takers, there are sure to be losers. And in the third world, it’s the poor.

What is corruption?

Bribery is the most common form of corruption. This is when money or a gift is given to a recipient, who in turn, does the giver a favour, one that is not always consistent with his or her duties or breaches the law. For example: a company giving a government official money so that he will, in turn, allow them to pollute a protected river.

The late Pakistani Prime Minister, Benazir Bhutto [2], was one of many that faced corruption charges, accused of stealing millions in taxpayer’s money to fund her lavish life style. There is no denying that corruption and politics have been sleeping together for years, and even in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina [3], the US witnessed a number of corruption scandals.

Government briberies usually take the form of campaign contributions. It just goes to prove that every man has his price.

Get out of jail card:

Corruption flourishes in the police force, particularly in impoverished countries such as Columbia and in many African nations. In these cases, drug lords pay police officers a sum to turn a blind eye on illegal dealings – this is where partnerships between the law and gangs ensue. Just like in Monopoly, convicts can buy themselves out of prison.

In the world of medicine, some pharmaceutical companies even seek to reward doctors that heavily prescript their drugs to patients, by providing them with lavish gifts. Although in developed countries such as in America, there are laws that banish such practice, this ill form of corruption continues to operate in third world countries.

Corruption even exists in the sporting world, evident by the 2002 Olympics Winter Games Figure Skating scandal [4], where a judge voted for a losing team in order for his country’s ice-skating team to have a chance of winning. Who was being a bad sportsman? He was.

The bad guys:

Businesses are the biggest offenders, particularly ones that operate in countries that are loose on corporate law. Employees, managers or salespeople of a corporation may offer gifts or money to potential clients in exchange for their business. A landmark case for this was when Aramark offered gifts to an assistant warden in the New Mexico Prison System in exchange for a contract that will allow the service company to provide food services in the State’s prison. Siemens AG [5] have also come in the shooting range of corruption scandals.
 

But who exactly is the bad guy? The government official looking to make a quick buck? The policeman who swore to serve and protect but turns a blind eye when someone cries for help? The doctor that supplies unnecessary medicine to those he vowed to look after? No. The real bad guys are the ones who condone such behavior. If the government is open to bribery, perhaps our judiciary isn’t as well-structured as we think.

Words: Bertan Budak.