In other cases, maintaining a truly level playing field may require recourse to local monitoring bodies and anticorruption laws, which often target bribe-seekers and create potentially meaningful deterrents.
Furthermore, grand corruption will not reduce without more effective prosecutions and other sanctions that target bribe-takers, as well as the facilitators and middlemen of corruption, be they lawyers, accountants or fixers like Unaoil.
Some have asked the Department of Justice to consider a probe under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, a broad law that targets bribes paid anywhere in the world.
American Hustle's plotline centered on "Abscam," the '70s-era FBI sting which targeted bribe-taking politicians.
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.
He wrote letters to editors complaining of poor reviews, sending copies to his targets, and bribed with stylish gusto.
There are fears that the new door-to-door inquiries may provide an opportunity for officials to extract bribes or target families known to be opposition supporters.
Policewomen are a target because "they refuse to accept bribes, which bothers people accustomed to paying when they break the law," according to Ms Romero.
Because of this, there is a larger group of people who may be targeted with threats or bribes to release information on a witness' whereabouts".
Baker denied possessing or selling drugs, and claimed that the police officers targeted him because he refused to pay them bribe money in exchange for protection.
Which then causes the target state to use taxpayer dollars to try to bribe the businesses to stay.
