Offering a bribe
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Fatwa number ( 7516 )
Q: There is a friend of mine, an engineer at the company, whose job is to judge and approve the invoices submitted by the contractor to the company. Once, the engineer’s personal car broke down, and the contractor—who has a workshop—said, “I am ready to repair it in my workshop.” My friend identified the defects and said, “I will pay two thousand riyals for these repairs.” However, the contractor replaced many spare parts and installed new ones beyond what my friend had requested. It is clear that the contractor did this in order to
please the engineer who judges the quality of the contractor’s work. So I ask your Eminence what my friend should do: should he pay the two thousand riyals as initially agreed, or pay the full amount if the bill is genuine? I also ask whether it is permissible for my friend to give the contractor the car for repair?
A: If the situation is as you described, what the contractor did is considered offering a bribe to this engineer. It is forbidden for the engineer to accept it, and he must pay the actual cost of the repairs and the spare parts. It is best for the engineer to stay away from suspicion. And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
Q: There is a friend of mine, an engineer at the company, whose job is to judge and approve the invoices submitted by the contractor to the company. Once, the engineer’s personal car broke down, and the contractor—who has a workshop—said, “I am ready to repair it in my workshop.” My friend identified the defects and said, “I will pay two thousand riyals for these repairs.” However, the contractor replaced many spare parts and installed new ones beyond what my friend had requested. It is clear that the contractor did this in order to
please the engineer who judges the quality of the contractor’s work. So I ask your Eminence what my friend should do: should he pay the two thousand riyals as initially agreed, or pay the full amount if the bill is genuine? I also ask whether it is permissible for my friend to give the contractor the car for repair?
A: If the situation is as you described, what the contractor did is considered offering a bribe to this engineer. It is forbidden for the engineer to accept it, and he must pay the actual cost of the repairs and the spare parts. It is best for the engineer to stay away from suspicion. And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.