[dreamcompiler]

You didn't pay close enough attention in class. The US FCPA [0] explicitly allows "grease payments" (which is what we are talking about here) so long as they're not illegal in the country in question.

Grease payments are paid for the purpose of expediting a task that a low-level official is required to do anyway as part of their job, e.g. release a package from customs hell.

The FCPA prohibits bribes which are payments intended to influence high-level decision-makers to make a decision in your favor when they are not otherwise required to do so.

[0] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_Corrupt_Practices_Ac...