Question

John Smith, a U.S. based businessman paid the equivalent of $20 to an official of the country of Murundi to expedite the overnight delivery of critical documents. When questioned, John Smith claimed this was not a bribe. The $20 is an example of

Answer 1

Answer:

Grease payment

Explanation:

A grease payment is a payment made to a government official with the goal of expediting a transaction, process or request. It can be obtained through extortion from the government official, by voluntary contribution from the non-goverment official, or by mutual agreement, either explicit, or implicit.

In practice, it is essentially the same as a bribe, and the term could be considered a colloquial euphemism.