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Influence Peddling
| What is this? |
Influence peddling is a form of bribery where the beneficiary is not necessarily an official. What matters is the social or professional position: although the beneficiary cannot make the decision, he or she can use his or her position to influence the decision-maker. The use of influence is different from influence peddling in that the influencer or a third party may not necessarily have got a backhander for their influencing activity. |
| Examples | |
| Here is an example: |
A police officer uses his or her official position to help a friend collect a debt from a third person by means of self-help. A driving school examiner takes a bribe, promising to speed up the process of getting a driving licence for the citizen. The examiner talks to the head of the school and asks the citizen to be exempt from the theory test. A company gives cash to a minister’s adviser in return for buying influence from the minister, using which the latter would help make sure that the company gets a satellite telephone licence. |
| Punishment | |
| Punishment: |
Penal Code §298-1 Anti-Corruption Act §17 |