There is no universally agreed definition of grand corruption. Instead, many general definitions have been developed over the years and they cover different elements of what they consider as grand corruption. Nonetheless, there is some consensus on elements such as i) misuse or abuse of high-level power; ii) large scale and/or large sums of money, (iii) harmful consequences. The definitions have also been useful to differentiate grand corruption from other forms of corruption, such as petty corruption. With high-level corruption scandals usually remaining unpunished, there have been increased efforts to establish a legal definition of grand corruption, as a first step towards the empowerment of national and international authorities with better legal tools to pursue corrupt high-level officials and to end impunity.