Don't send money or cards to people handling your case or enforcing the law: bribing is a crime for you too, and bribing supervisory, law-enforcement or judicial personnel is punished more heavily
- Top value
- Evidence A
- Keeps you free
- Free
- Takes minutes
- No willpower
In plain words
"Spend a little money to smooth it over" is a separate crime in the Criminal Law (刑法), and the person who paid is arrested too, not only the one who took the money. Bribery brings up to 3 years. In serious cases it is 3 to 10 years, and in especially serious cases 10 years or more or life imprisonment. Bribing supervisory, administrative law-enforcement or judicial personnel is expressly in the heavier tier. If you were extorted into paying and did not obtain any improper benefit, it is not bribery.
Mentioned in
- Treat police officers, doctors and bank tellers as people working by the rules of their jobs, not as roles: what moves things forward is paperwork and deadlines, not emotion
- To thank a doctor who saved you, use a thank-you letter, a pennant and a satisfaction rating, not a red envelope: the code bans gifts of money and goods, not gratitude
Translated from the Chinese original. Original book, section 8, tip 40. This section describes legal rules, mostly mainland China’s. It is general information, not legal advice; for your own case, talk to a lawyer. Content may be out of date and rules differ by place. When you actually deal with an agency, a doctor or a court, follow what local officials, doctors and lawyers tell you. Disclaimer