Sep/Oct issue: Dealing with bribes

[Tim Cullis]

I'm not at all impressed with the piece, 'Legal: Dealing with Bribes' on page 36. When you analyse the article it seems to be totally based on one country—Morocco. And the advice given is both out-of-date and suspect.

As a matter of principle I have never given a bribe to anyone and I'm horrified to find a solicitor and barrister suggesting you should give bribes.

Yes, Morocco used to be a bad place for bribes, but it's been generally cleaned up and the police have been given good pay rises so there is no excuse. The Moroccan police commanders were well aware of officers pocketing bribes and new radar guns have been issued which capture the image, speed and show the amount of the fine, which varies from 300 dh (excess speed up to 19 kph), to 500 dh (excess speed 20 - 29 kph) to 700 dh (up to 49 kph). Over that your vehicle is subject to confiscation.

For each image recorded on the radar gun, the officers have to produce the documentation and the fines collected. So the article is way out on what actually happens nowadays.

This thread about police bribes in Argentina shows how travellers should deal with bribe situations: http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hubb/s ... 14-a-34847

The police in Morocco are softies compared to elsewhere. This is an excerpt from my 2008 Dakar blog about a scam in Senegal, "A few miles further on we come across a national police roadblock. The guy waves us to the side of the road. I stop in the road and he waves me over to the hard standing, so I do as he asks. He takes our driving licences and then announces that we have incurred an infraction by not signalling as we moved over. It’s the start of the most blatent extortion attempt and I’m seriously annoyed. We discuss calling the British Embassy–I have the numbers in my mobile for the British Embassy Dakar, the British Honorary Consul for Mauritania and the British Embassy in Rabat, Morocco. I get my phone out and say the magic words ‘Embassy Britanique’ and he goes beserk, but at least it shows we are not about to be cowed. He storms off into the hut with our licences. After a minute Steve follows him, the guy asks for €30 per bike. Steve grabs the papers and exits stage left. The guy runs out and is now livid and raving at us but we ignore him. Ear plugs in, helmets on, gloves on, ignition and start. What’s he going to do—shoot us for not paying a bung? As we pull out he says, “You can go.” Well thanks shitface, we were going anyway."

[Tim Cullis]

More in St Louis in Senegal, "In the afternoon I head off on the bike to check out Hotel Mermoz on the peninsula for when Irene arrives. On the way back I’m stopped by a policeman that I noticed earlier stopping other European-registered vehicles. He asks to see my insurance papers which is a problem because I haven’t bought it yet. I tell him all my papers are at the hotel and he says I must leave the bike where it is and go and get them. At this stage a guy introduces himself in good English saying he’s from The Gambia. He says I’m in deep trouble, I should be carrying my documents, so will have to go to the police station and face a big fine, but if I give him £20 he’ll try and sort it out with the police.

I suspect he’s in cohoots with the cop, so I decline his munificent offer and set off for the hotel. The receptionist tells me there’s an insurance office just round the corner and I pay CFA 10250 (£10) for a month’s insurance which I ask to be backdated to the previous day as that’s when I arrived in the country. I crumple the certificate and hide it deep inside the other papers I’m carrying. When I get back to the policeman I dig out the certificate and also insist he also looks at my passport, passavant, innoculation certificate and everything else I have. He definitely smells a rat but can’t put his finger on it and we part company with a handshake and smile.

Back at the hotel four dutch riders turn up on WR450s with a support truck and trailer in tow. I exchange ‘war’ stories with Wim and he tells me they paid around €100 each to pass through the various controls on the Diama piste (we refused to pay anything). I’m amazed at this, maybe in their little convoy with matching bikes and gear they looked easy pickings."

[Tonibe63]

I've never paid a bean in Morocco even when I was stopped without documents which I had left at the hotel.

[minkyhead]

ive had no bad expieriance on marroc ...but if you dont give the gophers 10euros at cuata ill wager when you get to the window you will have one digit wrong inyour passpoert and be sent back to start the forms again
saw this happen to a very lowd cockney guy very animated and cock sure ...he was sent packing at the document desk and had to start all over ..if you want to get through quick just cough up your ten euros

tangiers med seems pretty straightforward by comparason

[PHILinFRANCE]

What Minky said .................i want to go back NOW B)

[beddowsm]

I must have read the article differently than you. I thought it was good advice on what to do and how to spot if the officials are after bribes. Morocco was only mentioned as that is obviously where the author had been and had obviously experienced a bribe. You can only draw on personal experience.

[Redmurty]

Why should Moroc be any different to anywhere else, basically most people are decent and there will always be one around to fleece a "RICH" tourist, it happens in this country.

Cheers Spud