Corruption in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is a consequence of the unaccountable governance of colonialism, later reinforced by post-independence elites and harsh neoliberal reforms. It evolved from centralised to decentralised patron-client extraction fuelled by privatisation. This chapter explores how SSA’s post-independent political economic development entrenched corruption and then examines the relationship between democracy and corruption, before focussing more specifically on political corruption. The chapter then turns to the effects of capital flows, first by considering illicit financial flows and capital flight, and thereafter, the relationship between corruption and FDI.