[1]This post was co-authored by Leah Moushey, an associate at Miller & Chevalier.
To run an effective FCPA compliance program in Latin America, it is important to know the terms and phrases used locally to describe bribery. This helps companies identify corruption risks and respond with appropriate compliance strategies. Compliance trainings in the region are more effective when corruption risks can be explained using familiar terminology. Compliance audits and internal investigations can use local bribery terminology in electronic document searches to identify problematic issues.
As part of the 2016 Latin America Corruption Survey [2], released by Miller & Chevalier and 13 partner law firms throughout Latin America, many of the Survey’s 637 respondents located throughout the region suggested commonly-used terms for bribery in the countries where they live and work. We have compiled the responses and organized them into a list of region-wide and country-specific terms:
Country | Terms & Phrases Associated with Bribery |
Region-Wide (Spanish)
(used in 5+ countries) |
arreglo, aceitado/aceitar, cohecho, coima/coimear, comisión, corrupción, corrupto, dádiva, dulce, mordida, propina, sobornar/soborno, tajada |
Argentina | ablandado/ablandar, adornado/adornar, arreglado, atención, curro, diego, diezmo, peaje, peinado/peinar, retorno, transar/tranzar, tranza |
Bolivia | abreviado, agilizar, arreglar, billetear, colaboración, dar celeridad, diezmo, muñequear, palanquear, procedimiento, reconocer a alguien |
Brazil | acarajé, acerto, agrado, ajuda, ajuda de custo, ajudinha, arrego, bacalhau, bala, balinha, bola, bomba, café, cafézinho, caixinha, cascalho, cerveja, cervejinha, charuto, colaboração, comissão, compensação, contribuição, dar um jeitinho, dar um jeito, desconto, desenrole, dinheiro do café, dízimo, doce, docinho, extra, facilitar, faz-me rir, forcinha, força, gorjeta, gratificação, graxa, gruja, jabá, jabuticaba, jeitinho, jeito, lambuja, leitinho das crianças, levar bola, levar por fora, mala, manga, maracutaia, mata-bicho, mesada, molhadura, molhar as mãos, necessidade, nota, outra forma, oxigênio, pagar bola, parceria, participação, payback, pedágio, pixuleco, por fora, presente, propina, taxa de urgência, taxa extra, troco, xixica, 10 purça |
Chile | arreglín, corruptela, coimero, cometa, chanchullo/chanchuyo, licitación o bases a la medida, mojar (a alguien)/mojado, negocio o acuerdo a puerta cerrada, pagar por abajo o por debajo, untar |
Colombia | ají, hampón, serrucho, chanchullo, colaboración, corbata, CBY (como voy yo), como voy ahí, mascada, mermelada, miti-miti, peaje, rebusque, rosca, torcido, trampa |
Costa Rica | argolla, chanchuyo, chorizo, chulo, echar, ladrón, sucio |
Dominican Republic | botella, borona, chantaje, cogioca, ladrón, macuteo, peajes, picada, robadera, robar, tumbe |
Ecuador | aletazo/aletaso, “ayúdeme a ayudarle”, arreglemos, billetear, chanchullos, chequesito/chequecito, choros, favorcito, “hay que cubrir costos”, ladrones, llevar/el lleve, mordidita/ él/ella muerde, “muéstreme un cariñito”, palanca, para las colas, partir el pastel, “ponerle aceite”, “por la plata baila el mono”, premio, repartir/el reparto, “si no pagas, no juegas” |
El Salvador | amaño, canchullo, compadre hablado, hueveio, ladrón, movida, rucu-rucu, tranza(s) |
Guatemala | business, caco, chantaje, debajo de agua, delincuentes con tacuche, extorsión, fafa, favores, hueveo, inmorales, ladrones, “les dan para sus aguas”, “les dan para sus dulces”, mañoso, moco, mosca, mordelón, negociación bajo la mesa, ratero, shuco, shuko, sinvergüenza, transero, trinquete |
Honduras | aporte, argolla, chanchuyo, impuesto de guerra, incentivo, moje, movida, pando, rucu-rucu, unte |
Mexico | acelerar, atención, “ayúdeme a ayudarlo”, chocolates, cochupe, cochupo, “¿Cómo le hacemos?”, “¿Cómo te ayudo?”, conflicto de interés, contribución, dar una atención, dinero por debajo de la mesa, echar la mano, “écheme la mano”, embarrada/embarrar, engrasar, grasa, gratificación, “hoy por ti, mañana por mí”, michas, mi parte, mochada, mocharse, moche(s), negocios por debajo de la mesa, “no se raje”, pagos indebidos, pagos por debajo del agua, para sus chicles, para sus dulces, pa’ los chescos, ponerse guapo, póngase la del puebla, porcentaje, refresco, regalito, regalo, reparto, salto, sobreprecio, sucio, “traer agua a mi molino”, transar/transa, un tostón |
Nicaragua | chanchullo, chantaje, colaboración, comprar favores, negocio(s) turbio(s), pago por debajera, pagar mordida |
Panama | bajarse del bus, donación, guiso, habla pues, moja, pásale algo, “¿Qué hay para mí?”, salpique, tumbe |
Paraguay | chanchullo(s), fato, negociado |
Peru | apoyo, cabeza, cariño, chocolate, colaboración, contribución, cutra, mermelada, parte, peaje, porción |
Uruguay | cometero, coimero |
Venezuela | algo pal´ café, algo pal´ fresco, chanchuyo, colaboración,”¿Cuánto hay pa´ eso?”, descuentos adicionales, de cuello blanco,enchufados, gastos extras, guiso, matraca, matraqueo, mejor amigo, me/le pasan algo, mitimiti, otros intermediarios, pana, peaje, pranes, rosca, sobreprecio, vacuna, vuelta |
The authors would like to thank colleagues at the following firms for their assistance in the preparation of this post: BLP Legal, Carey y Cía. Ltda., Estudio Beccar Varela, Ferrere Abogados, Hoet Pelaez Castillo & Duque Abogados, KLA – Koury Lopes Advogados, Orihuela Abogados, Paz Horowitz Abogados, PWC, QIL+4 Abogados, and Von Wobeser y Sierra, S.C.
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