A Corruption Pricelist? Priceless!

Having spent the entire day working at my house in Verga, Peter Boufeas returned to his, frustrated, knackered (his word) and rather put off.  Unusual state for him to be in?  Perhaps, but not when you've been dealing with the local trades people in Kalamata. 

He sent me a late afternoon progress report, which I always enjoy reading.  Straight forward, to the point and matter of fact.  He writes:
1. All walls are finished.
2. Pergola at front has been removed.
3. Rocks are on site to begin rock wall building.
4. Plumber has started work outside to connect septic tank and water runoff.
5. Earthworks nearly completed.

Perfect, sounds like a banner day.  But wait, he continues and launches in on two separate encounters, both with local suppliers, that sent him round the bend; one for the fireplaces and the other for the pipes. He ended up telling the one guy to get lost and the other to stick the pipes ...well, you know where.  I can feel his frustration, because how is he supposed to provide me a cost estimate and ultimately a solid quote for the completion of the house, when these suppliers choose to triple the price on items, rather than honour the original price tag.  You just can't do business that way.  Or can you?

Did these local suppliers expect Boufeas, well me, to provide “fakelakia” (φακελακια  little brown envelopes) to secure their word and that they would honour the original quote?  A resounding yes!

Believe it or not, Greeks paid an estimated 554m euros in petty bribes in 2011. A National Survey on Corruption in Greece was published recently by Transparency International Greece, and what I found rather amusing in the report was that they also provided a "Corruption Pricelist".  Almost like a crib note or cheat sheet for those of us who are novices in the art of "greasing the palm" or  the more sophisticated term, "transactional lobbying".  But seriously, a corruption pricelist?  Priceless!

People have built careers on the success of this subcultural, if not main stream, bribery culture. But according to the report, the Greek financial crisis had an impact in the amount requested and paid in “fakelaki” (little brown envelopes) in 2011; 78m euros less than in 2010. LOL. So basically the "bribery business" is also taking a hit due to the austerity measures!  Too funny, the script writes itself, lol.

Nevertheless, the report found that the amounts spent on petty corruption remain significantly high, with hospitals, tax offices and planning offices (License construction bodies/Settlement of illegal building) the most likely places in the public sector where bribes are paid.  Lucky me.

The report also provided a profile of those who pay bribes.  The usual suspects are mainly male, aged between 45-54 years old, educated, live in Attica and are self-employed or employers.  Well, that sounds about right!

The survey also noted that citizens are now more likely to deem the non-issuance of a receipt as corruption. Really?  That seems rather hard core actually,  because it happens quite often here in Canada.  But the penalty here for even a suspicion of attempting to bypass/evade taxes is an immediate seize on your bank accounts.  Only "the stick" here, never "the carrot".

What I also found fascinating is that “Transparency International Greece" actually exists! It also promotes the "implementation and protection of whistle-blowing so that citizens can be empowered and effectively participate in the fight against corruption by reporting complaints," so says their mission statement. Maybe Boufeas (http://www.naquatec.gr/), should sit on the board of directors.

And on a positive note, the report revealed that a significant percentage of respondents said they had refused requests to pay bribes in 2011. 25.3 percent for public-sector services and 21.6 percent for the private-sector services.  Maybe there are more like Boufeas than I had originally thought.  And that he isn't alone on his crusade to drag Greece kicking and screaming into legitimacy.  And here in lies his frustration, because it is such a small insular group that on some days he surely feels that he is shovelling sand against the tide.  My Kingdom, my Kingdom for an honest mihanikos! 

I can appreciate and share  Boufeas' frustration.  Trying to follow the rules in a country where officials  seems to make them up as they go along is a huge drain on my energy and my faith in humanity.  One fakelaki (φακελακια)  here, voila, my house is legal.  Another fakelaki (little envelope) passed across a table there, voila a building permit.   But it takes an equal amount of energy and willpower to resist the dark side. 

Greece is at a crossroad and so am I.  I'd love to take the path of least resistance, who wouldn't?  If I take the true path, the path less followed, the path paved with good intentions, I tell the corrupt tradesmen and bureaucrats to take a flying leap into the Messinian Bay. I'll end up paying more in the long run, but my house will be built on a solid foundation, albeit a more expensive foundation.  Peter Boufeas, the angel on my one shoulder whispers, 'take this path.'  My former mihanikos, PI, the devil (the old Greece) on the other shoulder, smiles wryly 'take the well trodden path, koukla.'  This is the path that ultimately led Greece to where it is today.

Still, I think I'll keep the "Corruption pricelist" handy...just for fun...really.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>  Corruption pricelist 2011
		Type of service	From	Up to
Public sector	Public hospitals	Procedure/surgery	€100	€30,000
		Speeding up of case	€30	€20,000
	Tax offices	Arrangement for financial records audit	€100	€20,000
		Issuing of documents	€15	€1,000
	License construction bodies	Issuing of a construction licence	€200	€8,000
		Settlement of illegal building	€200	€5.000
Private sector	Health services (hospitals, clinics)	Procedure/surgery	€150	€7,000
		Medical tests	€30	€500
	Vehicles	MOT inspection	€20	€100
		Driver’s license	€40	€500

.