The Secret Bribes of Big Tobacco

This documentary by BBC’s Panorama exposes incidents of corruption and bribery at British American Tobacco (BAT), one of the largest tobacco companies in the world. Reporters uncover evidence that employees bribed civil servants and politicians across Africa, undermining a United Nations campaign to save lives. Panorama found BAT illegally paid politicians and civil servants in countries in East Africa.

The payments were revealed when a whistleblower, former BAT employee Paul Hopkins, shared hundreds of secret documents. Hopkins worked for BAT in Kenya for 13 years.

“BAT is bribing people, and I’m facilitating it,” [Hopkins] said. “The reality is if… they have to break the rules, they will break the rules.”