History Main / CorruptBureaucrat

-->-- '''Senator Palpatine''' (AKA [[HiddenVillain Darth Sidious]]), ''Film/ThePhantomMenace''

This type of villain usually does not belong to the [[AristocratsAreEvil aristocracy]] or get power from [[CorruptCorporateExecutive money or businesses]]. Instead, the power comes from a position on the government (usually obtained through personal favors rather than merits or hard work). Compare DirtyCop.

We've all heard about them: Lazy, incompetent, always ''passing the buck'', and more than willing to accept a bribe to "speed things up". This character type exists somewhere in the overlap between {{Punch Clock Villain}}s and {{Obstructive Bureaucrat}}s. They are only lazy and incompetent when it [[NoDelaysForTheWicked prevents them]] from getting any work done, however. If someone threatens their position or privileges, they forget about laziness and incompetence and become relentless in abusing their power. They are not above committing murder itself, or crossing the MoralEventHorizon in any other way if their cushy jobs are at risk or they have the object of their ambition within reach.

* Beautifully averted in ''Anime/LegendOfGalacticHeroes''. At one point, [[spoiler:the Galactic Empire has essentially conquered the Free Planets Alliance but has granted it a degree of autonomy. When imperial officers attempt to get anything done,]] mid-level Alliance bureaucrats block progress by faithfully sticking to rules and regulations rather than caving to pressure. [[spoiler:Reinhard]] commends them for this, openly wondering if the Alliance would be a different place had they been in positions of greater influence and power.

* Governor Golder of ''LightNovel/IveBeenKillingSlimesForThreeHundredYearsAndMaxedOutMyLevel'' is ''very'' well known for his laziness and incompetence unless it's his personal gain involved, going so far as to frame people for crimes if they don't pay up, or otherwise threaten his cushy position.

* ''Franchise/StarWarsExpandedUniverse'': [[Literature/TalesFromTheMosEisleyCantina Feltipern Trevagg]] created new tariffs to line his own pockets, including on the water -- on a kriffing desert planet. [[spoiler:The barve ends up dead with [[IncrediblyLamePun delicious]] irony]].

* Subverted in ''Literature/SwordOfTruth''. Nicci needs to raise a large sum of money to secure Richard's release from the dungeons, which she believes will line the pockets of the bureaucrat in charge of these matters. It turns out that he's honest after all.
* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' goes out on a limb to show you that, even with the swords, horses and siege engines... a medieval-based aristocracy is basically this with titles and bloodshed alongside the paperwork, wax-seals, and under-the-table deals. Greasing palms, favours given and received, marriages to seal deals, promissory notes instead of here-and-now taxation (with a cut for you for your trouble) -- it all greases the wheels and gets things kind of done. As long as everybody knows the tune and can at least look like they're dancing along. But, some are more willing to use or abuse the system than others. Isn't that right, Houses Lannister, Tyrell, Bolton, and Frey? Or Littlefinger and Varys, if you want less corporate entities willing to corrupt up the bureaucracy nicely. The problem is: when somebody reneges on their deals (or, is only inferred to have done)... it can get very, very violent well beyond a sternly worded letter delivered by black wings.

* Three contractors are bidding to fix a broken fence at the White House in D.C. One from New Jersey, another from Tennessee, and the third from Florida. They go with a White House official to examine the fence. The Florida contractor takes out a tape measure and does some measuring, then works some figures with a pencil. "Well", he says, "I figure the job will run about $900: $400 for materials, $400 for my crew and $100 profit for me." The Tennessee contractor also does some measuring and figuring, then says, "I can do this job for $700: $300 for materials, $300 for my crew and $100 profit for me." The New Jersey contractor doesn't measure or figure, but leans over to the White House official and whispers, "$2,700"The official, incredulous, says, "You didn't even measure like the other guys! How did you come up with such a high figure?" The New Jersey contractor whispers back, "[[Crooked Contractor $1000 for me]], $1000 for you, and we hire the guy from Tennessee to fix the fence." "Done!", replies the government official.

* Three contractors are bidding to fix a broken fence at the White House in D.C. One from New Jersey, another from Tennessee, and the third from Florida. They go with a White House official to examine the fence. The Florida contractor takes out a tape measure and does some measuring, then works some figures with a pencil. "Well", he says, "I figure the job will run about $900: $400 for materials, $400 for my crew and $100 profit for me." The Tennessee contractor also does some measuring and figuring, then says, "I can do this job for $700: $300 for materials, $300 for my crew and $100 profit for me." The New Jersey contractor doesn't measure or figure, but leans over to the White House official and whispers, "$2,700"The official, incredulous, says, "You didn't even measure like the other guys! How did you come up with such a high figure?" The New Jersey contractor whispers back, "$1000 for me, $1000 for you, and we hire the guy from Tennessee to fix the fence." "Done!", replies the government official.

* In ''[[FanFic/SovereignGFCOrigins Origins]]'', a ''Franchise/MassEffect''[=/=]''Franchise/StarWars''[[spoiler:[=/=]''[=Borderlands=]''[=/=]''[=Halo=]'']] MassiveMultiplayerCrossover, how else do you think Cerberus got their hands on ''cloaking devices and superlasers?'' Those parts don't just ship themselves! May have something to do with [[FantasticRacism Human-supremacists]] in the [[MegaCorp Band of Brothers]].

* The SmugSnake Judge Holland P. Frylass in ''Literature/{{Victoria}}'' protects the gangsters in Boston from the initially non-violent efforts of protagonist [[VigilanteMan John Rumford]] and his friends to drive them out of their neighborhoods. Faced with this judicial sabotage, they eventually [[RageAgainstTheLegalSystem resort to violence]] and subject him to the TarAndFeathers treatment, an event that becomes known as the Second Boston Tea Party.

We've all heard about them: Lazy, incompetent, always ''passing the buck'', and more than willing to accept a bribe to "speed things up". This character type exists somewhere in the overlap between {{Punch Clock Villain}}s and {{Obstructive Bureaucrat}}s. They are only lazy and incompetent when it [[NoDelaysForTheWicked prevents them]] from getting any work done, however. If someone threatens their position or privileges, they forget about laziness and incompetence and become relentless in abusing their power. They are not above committing murder itself, or crossing the MoralEventHorizon in any other way, if their cushy jobs are at risk or they have the object of their ambition within reach.

* ''Fanfic/ApotheosisMHA'': The Hero Public Safety Commission is more concerned about protecting heroes and appearing competent than actually protecting the public they're suppose to serve. [[spoiler:After Izuku establishes the Hero Regulation Department]], many of their abuses of power come to light, such as:
** Covering for Endeavor's DomesticAbuse. They were perfectly aware of it, but covered it up due to his high rate of solved cases and fear that, with his poor temperament and highly destructive Quirk, he'd become a villain. When the Prime Minister found out, he was understandably ''furious''.

* Louis in ''Film/{{Casablanca}}'' is a sympathetic example. He is corrupt enough, but this is acceptable from an American point of view, since he works for [[LesCollaborateurs France]].

* Three contractors are bidding to fix a broken fence at the White House in D.C. One from New Jersey , another from Tennessee and the third, Florida . They go with a White House official to examine the fence. The Florida contractor takes out a tape measure and does some measuring, then works some figures with a pencil. "Well", he says, "I figure the job will run about $900: $400 for materials, $400 for my crew and $100 profit for me." The Tennessee contractor also does some measuring and figuring, then says, "I can do this job for $700: $300 for materials, $300 for my crew and $100 profit for me." The New Jersey contractor doesn't measure or figure, but leans over to the White House official and whispers, "$2,700"The official, incredulous, says, "You didn't even measure like the other guys! How did you come up with such a high figure?" The New Jersey contractor whispers back, "$1000 for me, $1000 for you, and we hire the guy from Tennessee to fix the fence." "Done!", replies the government official.

* [[ZigZaggingTrope Zig-zagged]] with Sakamochi from ''Literature/BattleRoyale''. As the administrator of the Program, he initially comes off as a repulsive, sadistic SmugSnake who takes perverse pleasure in watching ninth graders murder each other. In the end, however, [[spoiler:after [[ZenSurvivor Kawada]] appears to have won the Program, Sakamochi confronts him with evidence that he hacked the government, discovered how to disable the students' [[ExplosiveLeash bomb collars]], and was trying to trick them into believing that he betrayed and killed [[WideEyedIdealist Shuya]] and [[NiceGirl Noriko]]. As they discuss the "morality" of the Program, Sakamochi reveals that while he pulled strings to get his daughter into a prestigious school, he would not use his position to get her out of the Program if her class was chosen. He also tells Kawada that he plans to have him "[[MakeItLookLikeAnAccident die from his wounds]]" to keep his hack from being revealed to the public, in order to gain greater favor with the government. So while Sakamochi appears to be quite corrupt, he apparently genuinely believes in the ideals of [[PeoplesRepublicOfTyranny the Republic of Greater East Asia]].]]

* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' goes out on a limb to show you that, even with the swords, horses and siege engines... a medieval-based aristocracy is basically this with titles and bloodshed alongside the paperwork, wax-seals and under-the-table deals. Greasing palms, favours given and received, marriages to seal deals, promissory notes instead of here-and-now taxation (with a cut for you for your trouble) -- it all greases the wheels and gets things kind of done. As long as everybody knows the tune and can at least look like they're dancing along. But, some are more willing to use or abuse the system than others. Isn't that right, Houses Lannister, Tyrell, Bolton and Frey? Or Littlefinger and Varys, if you want less corporate entities willing to corrupt up the bureaucracy nicely. The problem is: when somebody reneges on their deals (or, is only inferred to have done)... it can get very, very violent well beyond a sternly worded letter delivered by black wings.

* ''Literature/SmallerAndSmallerCircles'': Played with in the case of Attorney Arcinas, an official working in the Philippine NBI. Instead of bribe money, he is more interested in personal fame and popularity, which is why he prefers investigating high-profile crimes, and will only haul his ass on a case if it will make him look heroic and competent in the public eye.

-->-- '''Senator Palpatine'''[[note]]AKA [[HiddenVillain Darth Sidious]][[/note]], ''Film/ThePhantomMenace''

* ''VideoGame/TrailsOfColdSteel'' Jusis Albarea's father is this. He uses area Provincial soldiers to do his bidding. [[spoiler:He even used their butler to place his son under house arrest and used the Kreuzen army to put Machias in prison in Bareahard's guardhouse]]

* ''VideoGame/SenNoKiseki'' Jusis Albarea's father is this. He uses area Provincial soldiers to do his bidding. [[spoiler:He even used their butler to place his son under house arrest and used the Kreuzen army to put Machias in prison in Bareahard's guardhouse]]

* In ''[[FanFic/SovereignGFCOrigins Origins]]'', a ''MassEffect''[=/=]''StarWars''[[spoiler:[=/=]''[=Borderlands=]''[=/=]''[=Halo=]'']] MassiveMultiplayerCrossover, how else do you think Cerberus got their hands on ''cloaking devices and superlasers?'' Those parts don't just ship themselves! May have something to do with [[FantasticRacism Human-supremacists]] in the [[MegaCorp Band of Brothers]].

* Chancellor Kilkil from ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick''. Of course, this is mostly done on the order of General Tarquin.

-->-- '''Senator Palpatine'''[[note]]AKA [[BigBad Darth Sidious]][[/note]], ''Film/ThePhantomMenace''

%%* Louis in ''Film/{{Casablanca}}'' is a mild version.

-->-- '''Senator Palpatine''', ''Film/ThePhantomMenace''