Bribery

The thing of value is often money, but gifts, entertainment, jobs, loans, donations or favours count too. Bribery has two sides: the person who gives or offers, and the person who asks for or takes. Laws deal with each, called active and passive bribery. The target may be a public official, such as a customs officer or licensing clerk, or a private-sector employee, such as a buyer. Bribery differs from a lawful reward or a customary courtesy because the purpose is to cause improper behaviour. Some small payments to speed up routine government actions, called facilitation payments, are banned in many countries and permitted in a few. Companies are also liable for what agents do for them. Practitioners meet bribery in due diligence, internal investigations, audit and enforcement actions. It is one form of corruption, and a case can bring heavy penalties, lost contracts and a damaged reputation.

A pharmaceutical sales representative gives a hospital procurement manager a paid holiday, hoping to secure a large order for the company's products. The hospital manager accepts and puts in the order. Both have committed bribery, and the company's compliance team later finds the holiday was booked as a training event.