corrupt officials
Dishonest government workers
Corrupt officials are government employees or public servants who abuse their positions for personal gain—taking bribes, embezzling funds, or granting favors in exchange for money or influence.
The phrase often appears in news coverage and political discourse: The investigation uncovered a network of corrupt officials who had been skimming contracts for years.
The term implies systematic wrongdoing rather than isolated mistakes.
- briberyCorrupt payment for influence
- palm greasingIllicit payment for favors
- dirty moneyIllegally obtained wealth
- money launderingDisguising criminal proceeds' origins
- offshore accountsBank deposits in other countries
fraud · cooking the books · cash · brown envelopes · cronyism · abuse of power · embezzlement · extortion · greed · fat cats · nepotism · kickbacks · whistleblowing · turning a blind eye · election fraud · kleptocracy · graft · revolving door
- corruptiongraft, kickbacks, bribery, bribes, bribe
- Tax Havenstax havens, offshore accounts, shell companies, tax avoidance, tax shelters
- Mission: ImpossibleEthan Hunt, Tom Cruise, IMF, latex masks, Fallout
- Nordic noirNordic noir, Scandi noir, Beck, The Snowman, Bordertown
- oppressorstyrants, despots, dictators, autocrats, authoritarians
- organized crimemafia, mob, the mob, syndicate, crime syndicate