Corrupt behavior with a consumptive lifestyle makes people close their eyes to punishment.
Sometimes the punishment is really a problem, on some countries, when someone caught cheating in sports, a cheater will just be fine on or ban, there's no criminal liability, if that punishment will be serious, then I guess these violators will think twice before doing it.
Maybe there is a punishment, but that is only for the formality and they let the public knows about that, but they really do not mean about the punishment. But the corruption is everywhere in many businesses, and it makes many corrupt officials involved in that business.
I agree that if the law is abode and the punishment really gives to the corrupt people, that will make the violators think twice and not try to corrupt. That can reduce the number of corruption that will happen.
The problem with corruption punishments is that when the big fishes are caught, they aren't punished accordingly, as they are connected to judiciary and political members. As they are protected, the impunity reigns in the country, because the common citizens see what happens at the upper levels of the society and don't have any positive examples to follow.
So the common people also go through the corrupt way, as if the big fishes aren't punished, they believe to not be punished as well. And that is what is seen in every sectors of the society. In sports, corrupt referees receives bribery to favor a team or another, what creates chaos among the crowd/fans, leading to violent fights, which result in casualties sometimes. In the end, nothing happens to people involved on these acts or just some of them receive a penalty.
It's just a consequence example of impunity reigning.