COMMENT | It is a fallacy to assume that corruption is a victimless crime because no third parties incur any loss or damage.

Another school of thought argues that people give bribes not out of choice but necessity. This could be true for people who pay for services they are legally entitled to but are denied by officialdom.

The argument that the giver provides the oil to keep the wheels in the system turning may sometimes hold water.

In such cases, the onus for the wrongdoing should be on the bribe-taker, but the blame of bribe-givers is no less than that of bribe-takers. Accordingly, the law provides that both be equally punished.

However, the Sabah case indicates that bribe-giving also has an ominous side.