It’s still bribe money even though you give the money to the spouse.
Nepotism leads to ugly outcomes no matter who practices it.
Nepotism (from Latin, nepos, “nephew”) was a common practice back in the days of the early Christian church, when the nephews of powerful cardinals, who were celibate, and therefore without legitimate sons of their own, elevated these nephews to high rank within the church hierarchy, over other and perhaps much more competent individuals.
This kind of almost incestuous concentrations of power within the hands of a few families tends to lead to limited thinking and paralysis of imagination, with the goal of retaining control within the family rather than the greater good for all the affected individuals.
Spouses who are highly placed within the governing factions are in position to dispense particular favor and provide deep background, which leads to management of the information in the most favorable light, or outright suppression of some very vital facts.
There are laws which are supposed to limit this practice, but in recent years, they have been largely ignored or openly flouted, scorning the traditions and accumulated wisdom of history.