Giving bribes in third world countries

[mdgspencer]

In a few years I will retire to a third-world country and I wonder about this question, since I expect that I will face it myself. Let me give some examples of situations that I know about. Some years ago I well knew a Mexican family. Whenever the father was stopped by a traffic policemen in Mexico, he gave a bribe, and the policeman always let him go. In fact the father was dean of the law school in his city. And here is a more extreme example (involving a situation that I myself would not get involved in). In the Philippines, an American took a woman to his hotel room. It can be very difficult to tell the age of women in that country. Suddenly policemen along with the girl’s parents burst into the hotel room and then they demanded money, or they would put him in jail, for actually the woman was an underage girl. It was a racket. Furthermore, in that country, I know, officials routinely expect bribes from those applying for something. This would be more of the sort of instance that I expect I will have to face on occasion. I wonder–is it always wrong to give a bribe or not in such countries?

 

[wjp984]

I don’t think it is wrong to give a bribe if that is what the commone law seems to have. In Mexico for example, the cops are probabyl severely underpaid so their source of income to support their famlies probably is the bribe money. My uncle had to bribe a cop once in Mexico when he ran a red light by accident.

 

[tptram]

IMHO,
giving money to some one so he will break the law (by not giving you a red light ticket) is wrong.

pay for the fine AND give the police man some for his poor family is ok

giving the money under duress (ie the police man will unjustly arrest you if you don’t give) is not wrong.

same action, different intentions

Tak