Just to be a contrarian, I see many of the charges were that he received consulting payments after he left office, and they said they were really rewards for favorable treatment.
Didn’t see the trial but not quite as direct as getting a bribe when in office, unless he was still using connections to help them. Still that’s not as direct, is it?
I think you raise a reasonable point. Contrarians with facts and new points of view are welcome by me!
I don’t know the details in this case, but I think it’s still likely that money paid after he is out of office is still a bribe. Unethical behavior is still unethical, regardless of whether there is a legal loophole. I know of a local case where a government official was given a very high-paying (close to $1M/yr) private sector job after he was out of office. I have little doubt it was because he steered high dollar contracts to the company that later employed him.