countries and systems. The opening of the book discusses the concept of slush funds, providing historical examples that showcase their misuse in both government and corporate environments. It highlights incidents like the FBI's Operation Swordfish and the corrupt practices of several politicians and organizations, emphasizing the detrimental effects of slush funds on public trust and governance. By setting the stage with concrete examples and precedents, Vaknin provides readers with a foundational understanding of how financial misconduct unfolds and proliferates within institutional frameworks, foreshadowing the broader discussions that will follow throughout the work. (This is an automatically generated summary.)