It's a dysfunctional organization that doesn't let you write quality code without lying (assuming you are correct that this is ultimately counter-productive for the organization's goals), and most every dysfunctional organization I've seen is characterized by lack of transparency and truth internally -- nobody knows what's really going on, so there's nothing to do but political games. I think that lack of internal honesty is a cause, not just a symptom. So your workaround to let you do quality work despite being in a dysfunctional organization, misleading your peers and/or managers/administrators, makes the organization's dysfunction even worse, making it even harder to do quality work. In another kind of vicious cycle.
After a bunch of years of programming professionally, I've come to the conclusion that my job includes not just trying to make the code better, but trying to make the organization better too. The same way you've got to 'fight' for quality code, you've got to 'fight' for healthy (honest and respectful) organizational culture.
There are some (many) places that are so dysfunctional that they seem hopeless, and maybe you can't easily leave and find other employment. You've got to do what you've got to do to stay sane (and keep your mind from dying) and I don't fault people for their coping strategies in such an organization, but I think misleading/lying (which is really just a kind of 'political' game of it's own) to give you space for code quality is likely to lead into a vicious cycle of descending badness all around, not ultimately leading to increased job satisfaction.
