Latest news, information and statistics about bribery and corruption. Data collected from anti-corruption organizations, bribery compliance businesses, lawyer statements, government officials and media publications.
According to a report by the Associated Press, over 200 military officers, soliders and police offers in the Dominican Republic have been accused of trafficking illegal drugs between 2009 and 2013.
Source: Associated Press, “Dominican officials say intelligence agent among 7 arrested in drug-trafficking case,” Washington Post, April 15, 2013.
On average, the United States Department of Justice’s Public Integrity Section investigates around 900 public officials a year.
In total, there are around 500,000 elected officials at all levels across the United States.
Source: Stephen K. Medvic, “There Is Very Little Corruption in U.S. Politics,” New York Times, Opinion, Room for Debate, April 3, 2013.
Wildlife traffickers are able to get up to 30 kilograms of ivory from a single elephant. If the market value of the a kilogram is $300, then the ivory from a single elephant would generate up to $9,000 on the black market.
According to a report in the Guardian, a corrupt wildlife ranger who allows poachers smuggle ivory would receive a cut of around 20 percent, or $2,000 in the example listed above.
In comparison, a ranger in Cambodia was being paid $30 a month in 2013, or $360 a year in salary. In Thailand, a lack of funds for supplies and gear leads to forest rangers conducting training exercises with tree branches. And in Tanzania, if a poacher is caught, he is subjected to a $13 fine.
Source: Oliver Milman, “Ranger corruption ‘impeding global fight against poaching’,” Guardian, March 27, 2013.
Up to $148 Billion is lost to corruption in Africa each year, according to the Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy in Ghana.
The amount lost is around 25 percent of the region’s entire GDP.
Within that amount, between $20 to $40 Billion is lost due to the payment of bribes to government officials.
Source: “25 percent of Africa’s GDP Lost To Corruption,” Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, March 13, 2012.
The Telegraph in London reported that the bribe price for someone in China to pay in order to get a job as a train attendant within the country’s rail ministry was $14,897 (£10,000).
Source: Malcolm Moore, “China abolishes powerful Railways ministry in battle against corruption,” Telegraph, March 10, 2013.
Corruption within the legal system of Iraq is reported to be rampant in the 10 year anniversary of the US invasion.
According to a media report, a prisoner in the Iraqi prison system stated that he had to pay $100 to prison guards in order to take a single shower.
Other reports state that even though a judge may set someone free, the person must still pay numerous bribes in order to be released.
Police officers are also reported to shakedown citizens because they need to recuperate the bribe they paid in order to become a police officer.
Source: Patrick Cockburn, “Iraq 10 years on: How Baghdad became a city of corruption,” Independent, March 4, 2013.
According to a study by the International Trade Center in Kenya, each shipment made by exporters and importers in the country pay up to $5,797 (500,000 Kenyan Schillings) in bribes.
Out of that amount, $2,903 (250,000 Schillings) goes to Customs Officials, $1,742 (150,000 Schillings) goes to Port Officials, and police officers take a $1,161 (100,000 Schilling) cut.
Source: Winfred Kagwe, “Kenya: Bribery a Major Trade Barrier – Study,” allAfrica, February 27, 2013.
The court system in Russia handled about 1,000 cases concerning small bribery cases. The amount in these cases were lower than $330 (10,000 Russian Rubles).
According to the Supreme Court Chairman, 60 percent of the 1,300 offenders took less that $164 (5,000 Rubles), with 21 percent taking between $164 to $330 (5,000 to 10,000 Rubles).
22 percent of small bribe cases in Russia involved teachers and doctors in 2012.
Source: “Only 250 Russians charged with major bribery in 2012,” RAPSI, February 25, 2013.
Human traffickers were bringing illegal immigrants from Haiti into Chile. In the process of smuggling in the immigrants, the traffickers attempted to pay border officials $400 per immigrants in bribes. The border patrol officials instead started an undercover operations to break up the ring.
Court documents state that the traffickers were selling immigrants in Chile for $1,000.
Source: Charlotte Karrlsson-Willis, “Chilean authorities thwart human trafficking operation,” Santiago Times, February 22, 2013.
A former police office collects documents and applications for clients in order to help them obtain their drivers license at the traffic department. The man pays government officials between $10 to $20 in bribes in order to facilitate the paperwork. With the bribes, the client is able to receive his driver’s license at a much quicker rate, rather then waiting for several weeks, if not months if he didn’t pay the bribe.
For his service, the broker pockets between $20 to $40 for his service. In total, he is able to make up to $10,000 a year, twice the yearly salary of what he made as a police officer.
Source: Kevin Sieff, “To cut Afghan red tape, bribery is the norm,” Washington Post, February 17, 2013.
