Topic 1. Corruption as a socio-legal phenomenon

1. Topic 1. Corruption as a socio-legal phenomenon

2. plan

1.General characteristics of corruption.
2.Types and forms of corruption.
3.Causes of corruption.
4.Consequences of corruption.
5.Examples of corruption.

3. Give your associations with the word “CORRUPTION”.

greed,
dishonesty,
power,
secrecy,
injustice,
Illegal
money
laundering
deception,
influence,
wealth,
unfairness
,
manipulati
on,
mistrust.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pfjlFJmja0
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4. what forms can corruption take?

Person A gives a
customs officer
100$. The customs
officer allows
person A to take
illegal drugs
into the country
BRIBERY
(взятка)
4
A construction
company boss wants
to win a
construction
contract. He uses
threats and
violence against a
local politician to
EXTORTION
get the contract
(BLACKMAIL)

5. what forms can corruption take?

A head of the
department in a company
wants to help his
friend to get a good
job. He chooses his
unqualified and
inexperienced friend
for an available job
instead of highly
FAVORITISM
experienced and
qualified
person
(NEPOTISM)
5
(кумовство)
The UN gives emergency
aid money to country
X. The leader of
country X puts a lot
of the money on his
personal bank account.
EMBEZZLEMENT
(STEALING)
(растрата, кража)

6. what forms can corruption take?

A top politician who
is on the board of
directors of an oil
company uses his
power to win the oil
company a major
contract
CONFLICT OF
INTEREST
(конфликт
интересов) 6
A drug company
executive lies to a
newspaper reporter
about an impeding
outbreak of a virus.
That information
increases the price
and sales of the drug
FRAUD (CHEATING)
(мошенничество,
обман)

7. Understanding Corruption: Definition and Etymology

• The term "corruption" has its roots in
Latin words: "correi" (several
participants on behalf of one party in
legally binding relations about one
subject) and "rumpere" (break, harm,
damage). From Latin, "corruption" is
translated as "bribery, decay,
spoiling", which remains relevant two
thousand years later.
• In the Republic of Belarus, the legal
definition of corruption is prescribed
in Law of the Republic of Belarus dated
15 July 2015 #305-Z «On Combating
Corruption».
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8.

• corruption – deliberate use by a public official
or a person equated to him or a foreign official
of his official position and related opportunities
for the purpose of illegally obtaining property or
other benefits in the form of work, service,
patronage, promises of benefits for himself or for
third parties, as well as bribery of a public
official or a person equivalent to him or a
foreign official by providing them with property
or other benefits in the form of work, service,
patronage, promises of benefits for them or for
third parties so that this public official or a
person equated to him or a foreign official takes
actions or refrains from performing them in the
performance of their official (labor) duties, as
well as performing
these actions on behalf of or
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in the interests of a legal entity, including a

9. Legal framework

Law of the Republic of Belarus dated 15 July 2015 #305-Z "On Combating Corruption."
This law outlines a comprehensive system of measures to combat corruption.
Law of the Republic of Belarus dated 14 June 2003 #204-Z "On Civil Service" establishes
requirements for public officials.
The Presidential Decree #644 of December 17, 2007, "On Approval of Regulation in
Coordination Session on Combating Criminality and Corruption," establishes a framework
for a special coordination body for law enforcement and other agencies.
Presidential Decree #330 of July 16, 2007, "On Special Tackling Corruption and
Organized Criminality Divisions," mandates the creation of special anti-corruption
units within law enforcement agencies.
The Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus Resolution #1732 of December 26,
2011, "On Adoption of Sample Regulation on Commission on Tackling Corruption," outlines
the responsibilities of anti-corruption commissions.
The Labour Code and Law #204-Z "On Civil Service" outline sanctions for violations of
civil servants' duties. The Code on Administrative Offences and the Criminal Code
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prescribe responsibility for committing offenses, creating conditions for corruption,

10. Core Elements of Corruption

State Official Involvement
One party is always a state official or person
with equal status.
Conflict of Interests
There is a conflict between state and personal
interests.
Secrecy
Corrupt actions are performed in secrecy.
Arrangements
Corruption involves arrangements between
persons.
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11. The Paradox of Corruption

State Dependency
• Corruption does not exist without a state.
State Responsibility
• The state is the body which takes efforts
to combat corruption.
Historical Context
• First corruption practices emerged in
ancient times from presenting gifts to
priests.
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12. What’s the cost of corruption

VIDEO
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13. Pre-watch QUIZ

What is the least corrupt country in the
world?
a)New Zealand
b)China
c)UK
d)Denmark
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14. what’s the cost of corruption

What does the phrase “Do you have a little money
for tea?” mean in countries like China, India,
and Thailand?
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15. what’s the cost of corruption

Talk about how corrupt you think the following people
might be:
• Police officers
• Journalists
• Local government officials
• Doctors
• Election officials
• Customs officers
• Sports officials
What bad things could they do? Who suffers from their
corruption?
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16. what’s the cost of corruption

What categories of people are most likely to
demand bribes in Asia?
a) medical staff
b) police
c) businesspeople
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17. what’s the cost of corruption

The IMF estimates that the annual cost of
bribery is about:
a) $2 million
b) $2 billion
c) $2 trillion
???
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18. what’s the cost of corruption

The Turkish have a saying “A fish rots from the
head down”.
What does it mean?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUjGUpg2I0k&list=WL&i
ndex=6
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19. what’s the cost of corruption

Thanks to WikiLeaks the world found out that tax
havens are used by … current and former heads of
state?
a) 4
b) 14
c) 40
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUjGUpg2I0k&list=WL&i
ndex=6
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20. what’s the cost of corruption

What is the biggest corruption scandal you can
remember?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUjGUpg2I0k&list=WL&i
ndex=6
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21. what’s the cost of corruption

How does corruption affect the economy of a
country?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUjGUpg2I0k&list=WL&i
ndex=6
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22.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUjGUpg2I0k&list=WL&i
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23. test

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24. the causes of corruption

economic
–
–
–
social +
cultural
–
–
–
–
institutional
–
–
–
–
–
low salaries of civil servants
lack of housing
power to influence the activities of businesses
and citizens
economic crises
demoralization of society
lack of awareness and organization of citizens
public passivity in relation to the self-will of
the "those in power".
too many civil servants
no or little transparency in the law-making
system
high level of secrecy in the work of government
departments
weak personnel policy of the state
imperfection of anti-corruption laws
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25. the consequences of corruption

social
economic
political
–
violated mechanism
competition
–
slowed down or no investments
a
significant
difference
between
declared
and
real
values
and
creates
duality among citizens
in
understanding
the
rules of morality and
legal norms.
–
supporting
projects
–
–
sharp
property
inequality
and unfair
redistribution of goods
–
growing social tension
and a risk of organized
crime
–
discreditation of Law
–
deformed
structure
public spending
–
of
–
little or no attention paid
to
socially
significant
goals
–
qualified
non-corrupt
employees leaving the civil
service
funds
leaving
the
economic
circulation and turning into
real estate and other savings
–
undermined prestige of the
country
in
the
international arena
–
inefficient
distribution
state budget funds
of
–
reduced society's trust in
government
–
unfair distribution of income,
enriching
the
subjects
of
corrupt
relations
at
the
expense of other members of
society
–
possible
transition
dictatorship
of
market
inefficient
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–
higher
prices
for
goods
and
to

26. Types of Corruption

TYPES OF CORRUPTION
Local Corruption
Elite Corruption
Deals
with
day-to-day
issues
Involves
faster
and favorable considering
of
routine
matters
Committed by middle and
low-level officials
Decisions influence the
whole
society
Involves
laws,
court
decisions,
decisions of state bodies
Committed
by
high
officials and politicians
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27.

28. Forms of Corruption

FORMS OF CORRUPTION
Financial corruption includes payments for obtaining
contracts,
misappropriation
of
state
budget,
and
payments for placing/receiving procurements.
Procedural corruption encompasses demand of bribery for
faster performance of work and employment of relatives.
Service-based corruption Involves provision of services
for state officials and travelling paid by private
entities in exchange for favorable decisions.
Hierarchical corruption includes receiving parts of
bribes by higher/lower officials
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29. Group work

Create a picture of a corrupted
personality
Psychological Features
Describe the personality's potential psychological
features, including their motives, beliefs, and
behaviors. Consider traits like greed, manipulation,
and a lack of empathy
Appearance
Illustrate how the appearance of the corrupted
personality might reflect their inner state. Think about
their clothing, facial expressions, and body language.
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30.

PROFILE OF CORRUPTED PERSONALITY
Corrupted personality
is a special social
type, having high
inclination to
corrupt actions and
low anticorruption
resilience.
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According to
statistical
researches, corrupted
individuals are
typically persons
aged over 35 years,
mostly familyoriented and having
secondary-level or
higher education.

31. Psychological Traits

Skilled in deception, they exploit
loopholes and manipulate people to
gain personal advantages.
They believe they deserve more
than others and feel entitled to
financial and social privileges.
While engaging in illegal
activities, they are cautious,
ensuring plausible deniability.
Manipulative,
narcissistic, risktaking but
calculated, lack of
empathy,
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authoritarian
They dismiss the harm caused by
their actions, justifying
corruption as a necessity or norm.
They prefer control over others
and use their power to silence
opposition.

32. Typical Occupations and Sectors Involved in Corruption

Government &
Politics:
Bribery,
nepotism,
electoral fraud,
misappropriation
of public funds.
Law Enforcement &
Judiciary:
Accepting bribes
to ignore crimes,
manipulating
court decisions.
Healthcare &
Pharmaceuticals:
Overpricing
contracts,
selling fake
medicines,
insurance fraud.
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Business &
Corporate Sector:
Embezzlement,
fraud, insider
trading, tax
evasion.
Education &
Research:
Academic fraud,
ghost schools,
bribery in
university
admissions.

33. Behavioral Patterns

Accepting or
offering
illegal
payments in
exchange for
favors.
Hiding
illegally
obtained money
through complex
financial
transactions.
Stealing or
misusing funds
meant for
public or
corporate use.
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Promoting
friends or
family members
regardless of
qualifications.
Destroying
evidence,
intimidating
witnesses, or
influencing
legal
proceedings.

34. Corruption in the medical sector in Belarus

• Corruption in the medical sector in Belarus,
particularly in the orthopedic field, has become a
significant issue.
• The investigation uncovered that several doctors and
medical professionals were involved in bribery schemes
with foreign companies.
• These schemes pushed patients toward expensive foreign
prosthetics, with doctors receiving substantial
kickbacks.
• This case is part of a broader governmental crackdown
on corruption in the healthcare sector, reflecting the
widespread nature of these illegal practices within the
industry.
Общенациональное телевидение (ont.by)
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35. Some more details…

• In 2018, a significant corruption case involving the
healthcare sector in Belarus came to light.
• A total of 21 individuals, including government officials
and businesspeople, were found guilty of engaging in corrupt
practices.
• The court imposed a range of penalties, including fines and
prison sentences of up to 7 years, reflecting the severity
of the offenses.
• The investigation focused on bribery schemes related to the
procurement of medical equipment and pharmaceuticals. The
accused individuals are believed to have accepted bribes in
exchange for favoring certain suppliers, potentially
compromising the quality and cost of healthcare services.
The investigation revealed discrepancies between the
reported amounts of bribes and those actually prosecuted.
Furthermore, some financial trails remain unclear,
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suggesting that the full extent of the corruption network

36. Is this corruprion?

1. A hospital administrator accepts a gift from a
pharmaceutical company in exchange for purchasing
their products for the hospital.
2. A doctor receives a bonus from the hospital after
successfully treating a high number of patients, with
no external influence.
3. A surgeon recommends a specific prosthetic brand to a
patient, which the surgeon's spouse sells at a higher
price.
4. A government official speeds up the licensing process
for a medical facility after the facility’s owner
makes a donation to a charity the official supports.
5. A doctor chooses a particular supplier for medical
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37. petty or grand? In pairs / groups, decide whether the following are examples of petty or grand corruption.

Giving a
policeman money
to escape a
speeding fine.
A construction
company boss
rewards a
politician to win a
big contract.
A country’s leader
puts aid money
into his own bank
account.
A company employee
finds a way to
secretly receive two
salaries a month.
A tobacco
company
illegally gives
money to a
political party.
A customs official
allows a flu-infected
chicken into the
country for $100.
A company CEO
fakes accounts,
which causes the
company’s
collapse.
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38. Questions

What is corruption?
What are the key laws that shape the
anti-corruption framework in
Belarus?
What are the key elements of an
effective anti-corruption strategy?
What are the challenges faced in
combating corruption in Belarus
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39. Thank you