the entrepreneurial spirit, the shady side

yesterday, i noted some of the ways people make money to survive here. they certainly can be creative. today, i will mention a few that i encountered today which are likewise creative, but are also on the shady side (some might even call them illegal).
after teaching this morning, i needed to head downtown monrovia to go to the immigration office. my friend too had some business downtown. we stood on the edge of the road with our arm extended waving our hand at the wrist indicating our desire for a taxi. as always, it was not only us looking for a taxi but all of liberia as well. one can wait for quite some time before you can elbow your way into a taxi for a ride (sometimes the elbowing is both literal and necessary).
but this afternoon, instead of being greeted by the typical beat-up mess of an ancient nissan with plastic bags for seats, a relatively new s.u.v. stopped. i was greeted with a/c and music. how nice. well this nice government official was using his government car to very kindly taxi us and others where we wanted to go for a "small inconvenience" fee. how legal is it to use a gov't vehicle to make some money on the side?
our first stop was undp (united nation development projects). they help were providing some funds for an organization my friend works for. he was there for the third time to pick up the check that was to be ready many days ago. unfortunately, each time he goes to pick up the check there is some sort of problem. this problem could be eleviated and the funds could be released with some palm greasing. of course, this is never stated, but it seems that the check can be obtained at odd hours or on the weekend when the higher-ups are not around...
next i went to the immigration office. prior to coming to liberia i had purchased a visa for $100 which gave me 90 days in the country. when i arrived at the airport here, i was surprised to see that the stamp they put in my passport only gave me 30 days at which time i would need to renew it. i inquired at the time and they said i would need to check in at the immigration office to get an extension. when i arrived at the building, an immigration officer said i need to give her $25 dollars and she will get me a new stamp to extend my stay. i balked. i asked for documentation of this hidden and unknown fee. she could not produce any. i kindly demanded to either talk to someone who was her superior or to see documentation. after pushing aside two other officers and being delayed, at last i was ushered into the back halls of the immigration building.
i was brought to a kind, well-dressed, and obviously well fed lady who told me the visa in my passport only gets me into the country and the stamp in my passport allows me to stay. and it was now time for me to pay. i had two options: either go to a bank tomorrow, fill out an application, provide two-passport photos, and pay $20, or i could pay $25 dollars to her right then and there and get the stamp without the bank, form, or photos. the extra $5 is a "processing fee". hum. i decide to forgo the former option in favor of the latter.