Quote Originally Posted by dancrilis View Post
This is to an extent my view - it is difficult for such a system to be corrupt at the top, nobody was bribing the Emperor because there was nothing to bribe him with making him effectively incorruptable, people lower down could be corrupted 'help us and we will help you take out your boss and you can move up' but the leadership of the Empire were largely beyond reproach when it came to corrupt behaviour as the system didn't really allow anything to corrupt them with (Vader was a traitor in wanting to overthrow Palpatine but he wasn't really corrupt about it he wasn't offering governership for politicians backing him or anything like that, he wasn't offering or accepting bribes or anything like that).
You seem to take a more narrow view of "leadership" than I, I am not talking about the dozen people at the top (and even then I notice you dropped any mention of Thrawn and Tarkin as well as Amedda) but of everyone starting with governor/moff and general/admiral and up. And also of "corruption" which, in the broad meaning, covers any illegal behaviour from government officials whether bribery was involved or not. Meaning that yes, Vader plotting to overthrow Sidious was corruption.

My point is that the Empire incentive the scummiest behaviours. The leaders of the Empire donly care about their own advancement in ranks and their own enrichment and will cut deals with organize crime, or even run it themselves either illegally or by having the practices (such as slavery) be officially co-opted by the Empire, whenever convenient.