Mike Isaac’s Super Pumped (p. 313) reports that Uber managers in Indonesia bribed police in a dispute about location of driver service centers. Isaac explains:
Instead of moving the company’s hubs, local Uber managers decided to pay off the cops. Every time a police officer would show up, an Uber manager would fork over a cash bribe—usually around 500,000 rupiah, around the equivalent of $35 USD, and the officer would leave. Unsurprisingly, the police became regular visitors.
The US Department of Justice investigated these payments — among others in China, India, and Malaysia — as possible violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. In January 2020 the investigation was closed without enforcement action.