The values
of the transaction that involved
bribery are increasing
It often
includes luxury real estate
properties overseas, and financial
assistance to cover the living
expenses for the official and his
family members while staying abroad.
The methods
of the bribery become more innovative
Now the most
used method of bribery is not of
direct monetary payment from one part
to another, but by way of a third
party transfer into the bribe
receivers' overseas accounts.
Other methods
that have been found include helping
the offspring of the corrupt party to
pursue their career interests or
achieve business success. The bribe
company may provide the youngest with
opportunities to study aboard, or
offering partnership to assist him in
developing his own business, or
simply inviting her to take up a
position as the multinational company’s
representative in China.
As to the
corrupt officials, the rewards to
their "services" could be
overseas training trips, or gifts
after retirement.
One of the
most igneous practices is to supply a
mistress to a bribery target. Those
multinational companies would take
care of everything, from searching
for right candidate, organising her
living arrangement to sponsoring her
to overseas.
But the most
intricate of all is to make an
organise approach through
multinational business association
and to arrange their own men to the
key positions in the government.
The action
of bribery becomes harder to define
In some cases
it is not a certain individual who
accepts bribe but an entire
organisation or institute. And the
bribe or kickback often assumes a
legitimate appearance such as setting
up science research foundations,
providing joint research programs,
inviting to work as consultants,
initiating research visits overseas,
offering research awards, purchasing
artworks by the bribery targets, or
buying the copyrights of their books.
The target
level of the bribery becomes higher
Evidently some
multinational corporations are no
longer content with their influence
at local government levels. They want
to go higher and now are targeting
the officials in the central
government. Their goals are to see
China adopt policies that would allow
them to secure big government
contracts, to pay cheap prices for
land acquisitions and to further
lower the wages of local workers.
They are not merely a passive part in
the whole bribery/corruption game.
Take the case
of the former president of China
Construction Bank, Zhang Enzhao, who
was sentenced to 15-years
imprisonment last month. His long
road to get himself behind the bars
began at an overseas golf course four
years ago.
(References: 香港大公报,国际先驱导报)
