So firms should teach them how to refuse demands for bribes without getting hurt.
Rather, their grouse was that he accepted bribes without covering up his tracks.
Mr. Khan, the former mayor, said this practice created serious risks, since officials were handing out permits, often for bribes, without insisting on the necessary safeguards.
Today, Mr. Meehan argued that "there was never a three-way split," and that Mr. Pinto and Mr. Grimaldi shared bribes without cutting Mr. Ganim in on their deals.
Legal experts say it would be possible to prosecute one man for giving bribes, without prosecuting the target of the bribe, if he was believed to be unaware of the intent.
Rio Tinto denied any wrongdoing in the case, but after the verdict the company dismissed the four employees, saying there was substantial evidence in court that they had taken bribes without knowledge of the company.
In the old days -- that is, until two years ago -- the I.O.C. delegates could have freeloaded in a glamorous Midtown hotel and voted on the basis of goodies and bribes without ever seeing the hideous New York highways and far-flung sites at rush hour, or any hour.
But Mr. Bailey also admitted taking tens of thousands of dollars in bribes without the governor's knowledge, said he had not been in the room when Mr. Siegelman met with Mr. Scrushy, and could offer only his recollection of a brief exchange with the governor on the matter.
It is possible that they have paid bribes without realizing it.
In 1982, Mathias chaired a bipartisan Senate inquiry into the methods used by the FBI in the Abscam corruption investigation, which found that dozens of officials had been named for accepting bribes without basis.
