The phrase "an instance of corruption" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to refer to a specific occurrence or example of corrupt behavior or practices, often in a political or organizational context.
Example: "The investigation revealed an instance of corruption within the local government that led to the resignation of several officials."
Alternatives: "a case of corruption" or "an example of corruption".
Is this one-off bribe an instance of corruption?
The first hypothesis expresses a necessary condition for an action being an instance of institutional corruption and, indeed, for its being an instance of corruption at all.
Summing up, the second hypothesis states a necessary condition for an action being an instance of institutional corruption and, indeed, for its being an instance of corruption at all.
In other words, the Olmert prosecution was an instance of anti-corruption sentiment run amok.
However, the person acted for the sake of doing what he believed to be morally right; his action was an instance of noble cause corruption.
And while there's probably no single instance of corruption in the book that will land a college team on probation or cost a coach his job, the sheer accumulation of transgressions makes for a devastating portrait of a culture in which teenage boys are treated as, essentially, chattel.
The bounty scandal involving the New Orleans Saints, which broke last March, has retreated from the news, but it remains the most serious instance of corruption in N.F.L. history since 1963, when the Green Bay Packers running back Paul Hornung and the Detroit Lions defensive tackle Alex Karras were suspended for a season for betting on games and hanging out with professional gamblers.
Even before today, the scandal was the most serious instance of corruption in the history of the troubled Los Angeles Police Department, but its growing breadth and the systematic nature of the corruption, which apparently went unchecked for years, has raised questions about the ability of the department to monitor its officers.
