"You take it out of order!" 5 bribe-takers who made it to the pages of history

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

At all times and in all countries there was such a thing as bribery. From time immemorial, everyone knows exactly how to solve "sensitive" issues bypassing the law. Here are just small bribe-takers go to jail, and large ones - on the pages of history. The five well-known bribe-takers will be discussed further in the review.

1. Prince Alexander Menshikov

Peter I called an associate Alexander Danilovich Menshikov with his "thieving, but faithful" right hand. And all because the prince took bribes in incredible quantities. When Menshikov commanded troops during the Northern War and approached another city, he sent messengers there with an offer to pay off in exchange for the fact that his soldiers would not loot. So he received huge sums from Hamburg, Lubeck, Mecklenburg, Gdansk. Curiously, these funds almost completely settled in the pocket of His lordship.

When Alexander Menshikov was in charge of the construction of St. Petersburg and Kronstadt, the treasury allocated him fabulous sums on demand. Needless to say, the prince disposed of them at his own discretion. It is noteworthy that Peter I closed his eyes to all the scams of his favorite. He was not at all afraid of punishment for bribes and embezzlement, which overtook others. Peter I appreciated Menshikov for his ability to think big.

When Peter II took the throne, Menshikov felt uneasy. In 1727 he was exiled to Ranenburg, depriving him of all his lands and wealth. And there were a lot of them: six cities, more than a hundred villages, 90 thousand peasants. In addition, several million rubles in cash, 3 chests with jewelry and 105 poods of pure gold dishes were seized from the disgraced prince. A lot of Menshikov's savings remained in banks in London and Amsterdam.

2. Favorite of the Empress Ernst Johann Biron

To the favorite of Empress Anna Ioannovna Ernst Johann Biron, who arrived with her from Courland, had a place to roam. Taking advantage of the empress's special disposition, Biron allowed himself to carry out dubious deals throughout the whole country. It was to him that statesmen went (not empty-handed), begging for Anna Ioannovna's permission for this or that matter.

Two hundred thousand thalers "fell" to Biron for preventing the Russian-French alliance. The British, meanwhile, got the opportunity to transit duty-free trade through Russia with the countries of the East. Because of this, the treasury suffered huge losses, and Biron became rich again. When the empress died, the favorite was sent into exile, but not forever. Emperor Peter III, who was very fond of everything German, returned Biron to the court.

3. Chinese eunuch Liu Jin

The tenth Chinese emperor of the Ming dynasty, Zhengde, who ruled at the beginning of the 16th century, became famous not for special merits, but for bringing the poor eunuch Liu Jin closer to governing the state. While the emperor, dressed as a commoner, walked the streets of Beijing, the eunuch ruled in his name.

There is written evidence of the huge bribes that Liu Jin took. Just for the opportunity to see the emperor, officials paid the eunuch several thousand gold pieces. After some time, another eunuch was found, who also wanted to be in the place of the emperor's favorite. At one of the feasts, he whispered to Zhengde that Liu Jin was allegedly preparing a conspiracy against him. During a search, 251 million ounces of silver were seized from the eunuch - a huge wealth at that time. In addition, Liu Jin built for himself a palace that surpassed the imperial one. The overly greedy eunuch was executed.

4. French diplomat Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Perigord

The name of the French diplomat Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Perigord has become synonymous with cunning, unscrupulousness and bribery. This man was so dexterous and resourceful that during the French Revolution and after it he swore allegiance to all kinds of governments countless times. Talleyrand was in power under Napoleon, Louis XVIII, Louis Philippe. When Russian troops occupied Paris, Talleyrand respectfully provided emperor Alexander I with his accommodation.

Talleyrand earned 16.5 million francs by selling information to one or the other. When the diplomat passed away, people mockingly asked: “Talleyrand died? How much was he paid for this?"

5. Judge of the Zemsky Prikaz Leonty Pleshcheev

In the 17th century, a voivode and judge of the Zemsky Prikaz lived in Moscow Leonty Pleshcheev … He administered "justice" in a special way. At first, his henchmen found out the financial situation of the townspeople, and then slander was written on the wealthiest people with accusations of murder or theft. In order not to bring the case to court, Leonty Pleshcheev generously accepted large bribes from the slandered.

Once, on June 2, 1648, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, who was following from the Trinity-Sergius Lavra to the palace, was stopped by a crowd of people. They implored the sovereign to appoint a "good man" to replace Pleshcheev. The tsar promised to investigate, but the people arranged lynching. The head of the Zemsky Prikaz was thrown with stones and his dead body was dragged across Moscow squares.

Ivan the Terrible became the first tsar to launch a large-scale anti-bribery campaign. The king had his favorite methods of execution of criminals.