Definition of Influence Trafficking

Influence peddling is a type of crime included in some criminal codes, but not in all. This circumstance is due to the difficulty in defining precisely what influence peddling is. What rule In general, this crime consists of taking advantage of a privileged situation to obtain one's own benefit or to favor another person. Normally the concept of influence peddling is applied to public officials, who can access sensitive information and trade it for an illicit purpose.

However, sometimes the concept of influence peddling is applied to individuals who are not civil servants but who exert some type of influence over them with the purpose of obtaining some cost effectivenessFor example, a legal permit, an authorization, a public grant, an employment contract, etc.

Influence peddling in public administration

Jurists usually use the idea of ​​influence peddling in a restrictive way. Thus, in strictly legal terms this concept refers to the officials of the administration

from Justice that traffic in information to get something or for a third party to benefit. Some penal codes contemplate the crime of influence peddling in relation to any area of ​​the administration.

In any case, this crime presupposes that someone uses his ability to influence to pressure another person who has a certain important decision-making power.

A hypothetical example of influence peddling

An entrepreneur has the draft to build a block of flats in a place where it cannot be built. This businessman has money but does not have the power to change the normative legal that allows you to get a permit to build.

Consequently, this individual gets in touch with someone close to him who does have the power to change the norm, that is, an official of the administration. Therefore, there is an individual who sets in motion the ability to influence him (the employer) so that another the official who is known to the employer or his friend) do something irregular from a legal point of view.

The above hypothetical example highlights the difficulty in proving the crime of influence peddling. This circumstance makes it legally very complex to determine an accusation of influence peddling. To the margin of the complexity legal to have evidence to prove said crime, it is clear that it is a form of corruption.

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Influence Trafficking Topics