Several European Nations Slip in Survey of Perceived Corruption
Sep 29th, 2008 • Posted in: NewsBritain falls down the Transparency International list; New Zealand, Denmark, and Sweden rated least corrupt; Somalia, Myanmar, Iraq and Haiti at bottom
BERLIN
An annual index of global corruption published by watchdog group Transparency International (TI) shows many of the same nations as last year near the top and bottom of the list, but features a noticeable slippage among some European nations.
Britain, for example, is seen as more corrupt than at any time in the last 13 years, slipping from 12th to 16th place. London’s Daily Telegraph reports that at least part of the slippage in perceived corruption was an ongoing investigation into allegations that defense contractor BAE was involved in a series of bribery incidents.
Also cited, according to the Telegraph, were concerns stemming from the recent “cash for peerages” scandal in which it was alleged that seats in the House of Lords were granted in exchange for political contributions.
The report ranks a total of 180 countries, measuring perceptions of how easy or difficult it is to do business or deliver aid in terms of dealing with corruption.
While Germany moved up two spots to 14th place in the ranking, with TI praising the government for rooting out the massive Siemens scandal, the report did urge the government to take a larger role in fighting political corruption, according to a summary from Berlin-based Deutsche Welle.
Somalia was at the bottom of the list, followed by Myanmar, Iraq, and Haiti — a similar lineup to that in recent years.
However some African nations, such as Nigeria, which rose to 177th place, showed significant improvement. But Osita Nnamani Ogbu, Nigeria’s secretary general of Transparency, said corruption remains “intolerably high,” putting some of the blame on weak anticorruption agencies, according to the Lagos Daily Sun.
India scored near the middle of the pack, falling several rankings this year to 85th place, a drop attributed in part to a recent cash-for-votes scandal, according to the Times of India.
New Zealand, Denmark, and Sweden finished at the top of the list in a three-way tie. Canada finished 8th, and the United States finished 18th.
This year’s survey recommends that foreign aid be more carefully monitored to ensure that it flows to the intended recipients, according to a report from the Voice of America.
Sources: Times of India, Sep. 24 — International Herald Tribune, Sep. 23 — Telegraph, Sep. 23 — Deutsche Welle, Sep. 23 — Voice of America, Sep. 23 — Daily Sun, Sep. 23.
For more information, see: Related Newsline story, Sep. 8 — Related Newsline story, Aug. 4 — Related Newsline story, July 21 — Related Newsline story, June 30 — Related Newsline story, June 16 — Transparency International report, Sep. 23.
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