Bribery Bribery is the crime of giving or receiving something of value to influence official action. Both the person giving and the person receiving the bribe are guilty of bribery. Bribery is illegal for two reasons: (1) it usually involves a public official using his or her office for personal gain; and (2) it can cause officials to make unfair decisions that affect citizens. Bribery is a very old crime. There is evidence of bribery dating back …showed first 75 words of 216 total…

…showed last 75 words of 216 total…prison for up to 20 years. Commercial bribery, the bribery of owners or employees of private companies, is also illegal in many places, but it is less commonly punished. No one knows how often people commit bribery, but many experts believe that most people who bribe officials are never caught. Bribery is more common in some countries or parts of countries than in others. Many countries have made it illegal to bribe officials from other countries.