“He paid them bribes to get favors needed for his business.”
My father was in a business that bid on gov’t contracts and when, as a kid, I saw the cash changing hands as “Christmas gifts, etc.,” and questioned my dad as to the local Congressman being a crook, my dad said, “Yes, but he’s OUR crook.”
Remember it takes two to dance. One is no better than the other.
Don't believe me? Than, you're naive, or not in a position to know anything about how the work is awarded. It took my father a lot of lost bids until the Congressman had someone who worked for him tell him how business was conducted and what it would cost.