Of course, no one ever bribes a government official in OUR contries, right? :right:

I bet it is far less common than it is in those other places. And if it does happen it is done through legalized means, and even those opportunities are being reduced.

Of course they do. lol If they get caught they get to spend some time in the big house though.

Poor Gordon. :D

Bribing through legalized means???????????

yeah...legalized bribery is a bit of an oxymoron really isn't it? lol

That's what I thought.

I'm sure Merc will enlighten us. ;)

Sure. Examples are all around you. People grease each other in business every day. Through perks, business arrangements, kickbacks, commissions, etc. It happens in politics all the time EVERY day. I approve your local zoning or building permit, you get me a free membership at the closed golf community. I get your bill passed and listen to you tell me how to vote, I get that huge campaign contribution. I get you free drug samples and you push my drug on your patients. I can't think of some aspect of commercial enterprise that does not have these arrangements.

I let you build a mine here...you give me $300 000. :lol2:

Over here, anything like what you've suggested is meant to be reported to parliament as a gift and if it's anything dubious, there will be questions asked.

Our defence minister recently had to resign because of very similar issues, and no one really know if there'd been any impropriety, but it still looked bad enough that, combined with other issues, it put him out of a job.

eta: the minister didn't declare the 'gifts' he'd received which was one of the big stumbling blocks for him.

We have had plenty of the same issues. I think it is less common than it was even 10 years ago but I am sure it still happens. Most recently Ted Stevens from Alaska was on trial for it. In the end he got a new house and really got off pretty easy, but lost his long running powerful seat in Congress. There are thousands of other examples.

For sure there are. I've no doubt politicians over here get kickbacks we never find out about too, but as you say, I think it happens less frequently.

It's still not legalized bribery though. ;)

Yea, those would still be in the illegal category. But there are plenty of examples where it is legal, for example the use of campaign contributions, perfectly legal, perfectly bribery.

OK, I'll give you that one.

Got any more? :)

Drug manufactures giving free meds to docs to use for give aways while at the same time expecting them to buy inventory and prescribe the drug they are pushing at the office. I see this all the time. Oh and they bring the office lunch 2 times a month. (about 45 people).

Or equipment manufactures sending people to conferences when they buy their stuff, and these are golfing conferences or in really expensive resort areas.