Corruption is a longstanding problem in Argentina, particularly involving payoffs and kickbacks between private companies that hold Government contracts and Government officials with whom they deal.

Eight employees of New York City's Sanitation Department have been arrested on bribery charges involving payoffs to remove residential bulk waste or to permit improper dumping of commercial waste.

The case, troubling under any circumstances, couldn't come at a worse time for municipal finance, an industry that has been rocked by scandals involving payoffs and cronyism.

In later years, doing business in Hudson County continued to involve payoffs, but paper trails grew longer, disgruntled victims came forward with more frequency and the Government grew more savvy.

Byun resigned after being embroiled in a scandal involving a player's agent and payoffs for selecting specific players.

He left the ministry after being implicated in 1947 in what became known as the Showa Denko bribery scandal, involving corporate payoffs to Government officials for low-cost Government business loans.

Mr. Flood resigned from the House in 1980 and later pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge involving payoffs.

At least 23 states and the District of Columbia are themselves in the lottery business, selling more than $1 billion worth of tickets a month that involve dubious promotions and very small payoffs.

International The head of a huge Italian construction group was placed under house arrest in a widening scandal involving payoffs to politicians.

The plan is understood to involve substantial payoffs from oil revenues to Iraq and some form of Iraqi control over the strategic Bubiyan Island off its coast.