Corruption
Senior 4 · General and Religious Studies
Corruption
Lesson 2 of 4
25 min
Article 2 of Rwanda's Law N° 54 of 2018 on fighting against corruption says that corruption "is reflected in the following acts". Among them:
"to solicit, accept or offer illegal benefit; to solicit, promise or offer sexual favors; to make a decision based on favoritism, friendship, hatred, acquaintances or nepotism; ... embezzlement; to use public property for unintended purposes; to misuse property of public interest; illegal exemption ..."
The list shows how wide corruption is. It is not only an envelope of cash. It is also a job given to a cousin, a contract steered to a friend, a sexual demand in exchange for a mark, or a government vehicle used for a family wedding. This lesson names each form and gives you two ways to classify it.
Definition
Bribery: offering, giving, demanding or accepting an illegal benefit in exchange for doing or not doing a duty.
Embezzlement: stealing or diverting money or property that one has been trusted to manage.
Extortion: demanding payment by threat or by refusing a service that is due; the law speaks of demanding "undue or excessive money".
Nepotism: favouring relatives; favouritism: favouring friends or acquaintances, in jobs, contracts or services.
Influence peddling: using one's position or connections to obtain an advantage for someone in exchange for a benefit.
Illicit enrichment: a large increase in a person's wealth that they cannot explain from their lawful income.
Sexual corruption: demanding or offering sexual favours in exchange for a service, a job or a mark. It is also an abuse; where a child is involved it is always abuse and a crime.
By scale. Transparency International classifies corruption as petty ("everyday abuse of entrusted power by public officials in their interactions with ordinary citizens, who often are trying to access basic goods or services"), grand ("the abuse of high-level power that benefits the few at the expense of the many, and causes serious and widespread harm to individuals and society") and political ("manipulation of policies, institutions and rules of procedure in the allocation of resources and financing by political decision makers, who abuse their position to sustain their power, status and wealth").
By act. Rwandan law lists the acts, each with its own article and penalty:
| Form | Illustrative example | Law N° 54 of 2018 |
|---|---|---|
| Soliciting, accepting or offering an illegal benefit (bribery) | A driver pays to avoid a fine; an applicant pays to jump the queue for a permit | Articles 4 and 5 |
| Sexual favours | A supervisor demands sex in exchange for a job contract | Article 6 |
| Influence peddling | A man takes money to "talk to his friend at the ministry" about a licence | Article 7 |
| Decision based on favouritism, friendship, hatred, acquaintances or nepotism | A scholarship goes to the director's niece instead of the best candidate | Article 8 |
| Illicit enrichment | An official on a modest salary builds three houses in two years and cannot explain the money | Article 9 |
| Embezzlement | A cooperative's treasurer moves members' savings into his own account | Article 10 |
| Using public property for unintended purposes | A district vehicle and fuel are used for a private wedding | Article 11 |
| Illegal exemption | An officer exempts a friend's business from a tax it owes | Article 13 |
| Demanding or receiving undue or excessive money | A clerk charges for a form that is free | Article 14 |
| Abuse of functions | An official uses legal powers to harm a rival's business | Article 15 |
Illicit enrichment is hard to prove with a single receipt, so Rwanda requires many leaders and public servants who handle public money to declare their assets every year to the Office of the Ombudsman, which then checks them. The Office's annual report for 2023–2024 gives these figures:
| Year | Required to declare | Declared | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021–2022 | 16,274 | 16,191 | 99.5% |
| 2022–2023 | 17,695 | 17,687 | 99.95% |
| 2023–2024 | 18,581 | 18,569 | 99.94% |
Source: Office of the Ombudsman, annual report 2023–2024, Table 24. A declaration is only the first step: its value depends on whether the declarations are checked against what people actually own, which is why the report also describes verification.
Warning
Do not mix up the classifications. "Petty", "grand" and "political" describe the scale and level; bribery, embezzlement and nepotism describe the act. One act belongs to both: a minister who takes a large bribe for a national contract commits bribery (act) and grand corruption (scale). In an answer, name both.
Tip
Who, what, how big. To classify any case, ask: Who holds the entrusted power (a clerk, a manager, a minister)? What is the act (taking, stealing, favouring, demanding)? How big is the harm (one family, a district, the nation)? The first two give the act; the last gives the scale.
Important
Discuss. Some people argue that petty corruption does more damage than grand corruption, because it touches every citizen every day and teaches that rules can be bought. Others say grand corruption is worse because of the sums involved. Which view do you find more convincing, and why?
Transparency International: "Definition of Grand Corruption", about 1.5 minutes. Listen for why grand corruption "often goes unpunished", and compare it with petty corruption in your own words.
Practice
Key points
Sources and credits
Written by Ganzaa: Figure 2, the tables of forms and examples (all illustrative), the analysis and the exercises.
This lesson adapts CC BY-SA material and is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Quick check
Match each case to its form of corruption.
Tap one on the left, then its partner on the right.
