8. If necessary, do a full financial investigation of the suspect official (suspected bribe recipient) to identify the receipt of corrupt payments or sudden unexplained wealth.
9. If necessary, use the evidence collected above to attempt to obtain the cooperation of an inside witness, including a middleman or less culpable member of the corruption scheme.
10. Interview the subject official (suspected bribe recipient) and request the subject’s financial documents (see step nine of the ten basic steps in a complex fraud and corruption investigation).
11. Wrap up the case by carefully linking the evidence of improper payments to the evidence of corrupt influence, e.g., show that the bribe payer received an improper contract award approved by the official who received the bribe. Try to identify and rebut all anticipated defenses, e.g., the contract award was proper; the payment to the official was the repayment of a prior loan and not intended to corruptly influence him.
See a much more detailed description of the ten basic steps in a complex fraud and corruption investigation and advice on how to best organize and present the evidence of corruption.
The payment of bribes and kickbacks constitutes a corrupt practice.