Berlusconi: Nothing Wrong with a Little Bribery

Posted by Brianna Panzica - Tuesday, February 19th, 2013

Corruption has been shaping the Italian political landscape.

The nation is heading for a general election next week, when voters will chose the next parliament and government leaders. And amid the campaigning, there has been an uproar against the political and corporate turmoil.

The biggest complaint among voters has been the mutually beneficial relationship corporations share with Italian politicians. This has recently been highlighted even more with the bribery scandal of Giuseppe Orsi, head of Italian defense company Finmeccanica, and the investigation into Paolo Scaroni, CEO of Eni.

But Silvio Berlusconi, Italy's former prime minister and current head of the center-right coalition, is defending these and other scandals. It is his belief that bribery is an entirely necessary part of Italian politics.

From the Financial Times:

“Bribes are a phenomenon that exists and it's useless to deny the existence of these necessary situations when you are negotiating with third world countries and regimes,” Mr Berlusconi, leader of a centre-right coalition and seeking his fourth stint in office, said on Thursday.

Berlusconi refers to these bribes as “commissions,” saying, “These are not crimes.” But Berlusconi's insistence that bribes must occur will likely do little to lessen the ire of already angry voters.

Giuseppe Orsi was arrested this week after being accused of using bribes to secure a deal with officials in India, as the Washington Post reports. The helicopter sale was worth $750 million, and India is investigating the charges before it allows payment for the deal to go through.

This could injure the Italian reputation, as India is concerned what this sort of scandal will do to its government and security.

A similar scandal occurred in the '80s in India, stalling defense increases and hurting the government. Fear is high that this could happen again, and this backlash could injure the relationship of Italian companies with India.

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But according to Berlusconi, this is how Italy does things. And that public statement could hurt not only his chances at re-election but also the global view of Italian politics.

( Hmmm, a Slippery Slope of No-Return!)