FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Entrenched corruption in low-income countries requires global action concerted efforts are needed in both rich and poor to stop the flow of illicit money and do justice for the poor
London / Berlin, September 26, 2007 - The gap in perceived levels of corruption in rich and poor countries is more comprehensive than ever, according to the Index of Perception of Corruption
2007 (CPI), released today by Transparency International, the global coalition against corruption.
The developed and developing countries should have shared responsibility for reducing corruption levels, addressing both the supply side and the demand.
"Despite some gains, corruption remains a huge leak involving vital resources for education, health and infrastructure," said Huguette Labelle, Chair of Transparency International.
"Countries with low scores should take these results seriously and act from now to strengthen accountability of public institutions. But the action of the countries with high scores is just as important, particularly when dealing with corrupt activities in the private sector. "
Results , 2007
Perceptions Index 2007 Corruption Perceptions analyzes public sector corruption in 180 countries and territories, the CPI with the largest number of countries covered to date. The CPI is a composite index based on 14 expert opinion surveys. The index ranks countries on a scale of zero to ten, with zero indicating high levels of perceived corruption and ten low levels. Follow
patent is a strong correlation between corruption and poverty. Forty percent of the countries scored below 3, indicating that corruption is perceived as rampant, are classified by the World Bank as low- income. Somalia and Myanmar share the lowest score 1.4, while Denmark was able to ascend to the highest score of 9.4, which shares with Finland and New Zealand, traditionally among the first in the list.
Several African countries have achieved significantly better results in the 2007 CPI. These include Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa and Swaziland. These reflect the positive progress have been anti-corruption initiatives in the continent and show political will accompanied by reforms can reduce the perceived levels of corruption.
Other countries with significant improvement include Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Czech Republic, Dominica, Italy
Macedonia, Romania and Suriname. Among the countries whose perceived levels of corruption have worsened dramatically in 2007 are Austria, Bahrain, Belize, Bhutan, Jordan, Laos, Macao, Malta,
Mauritius, Oman, Papua New Guinea and Thailand.
concentration well in Eastern Europe and South reflects the positive effect on the fight against corruption in the process of accession to the European Union.
At the same time, countries in crisis such as Afghanistan, Iraq, Myanmar, Somalia and Sudan are at the bottom range of the index. "The ability to govern is severely undermined in countries ravaged by conflict. When public institutions are incapable of action or they do not exist, the mercenaries are appropriated public resources and corruption thrives, "said Labelle.
Good governance begins at home
poorest countries suffer most under the yoke of corruption, and ultimately it is your responsibility to address the problem. Low scores in the CPI indicate that public institutions are exposed to serious dangers. The first item on the agenda is to improve transparency in financial management, from fundraising to spending and strengthen monitoring and end the impunity of corrupt officials.
It is essential to have a professional and independent judicial system in order to eliminate impunity and enforcing the impartial rule of law and promote public confidence, donors and investors. If you can not trust the courts to prosecute corrupt officials or to assist in tracing and returning illicit wealth, you can not advance in the fight against corruption.
"Another key strategy for developing countries seeking to strengthen accountability of government, is allied with civil society and citizens. The civil society organizations play a crucial role as watchdogs, can help stimulate demand for reform and contribute their knowledge on technical issues, "said Cobus de Swardt, Executive Director of Transparency International. "But there are governments that are increasingly limiting the ability of civil society to act." In addition, many countries can not face the burden of reform alone. In countries where institutions were historically based on patronage and nepotism rather than merit, reform takes time and can require a substantial investment of resources and technical assistance. Countries with high scores in the CPI, as significant donor of development assistance, have a special role in promoting accountability systems institutional integrity, accountability and effective in countries with the highest rates of corruption. Technical assistance is a key requirement of the historic United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC).
Corruption is a problem of global origin
Higher scores of wealthy countries and territories, mostly in Europe, East Asia and North America are a reflection of the relative transparency of their public sectors, enabled by political stability, good regulation of conflicts of interests and freedom of information and a free civil society to monitor.
However, the corruption of senior officials in low-income countries involves the best positioned in the CPI. Bribes are often from multinationals, which has its headquarters in the richest countries in the world. It is unacceptable that these companies use foreign bribery as a legitimate business strategy.
also the world's financial centers are key to corrupt officials in mobilizing, hide and invest their wealth stolen. Tax havens, for example, played a crucial role in the looting of millions in funds from developing countries like Nigeria and the Philippines, facilitating the misdeeds of corrupt leaders and impoverishing the citizens under command of such leaders. Akere Muna, Vice President of Transparency International, said it was the right time for developed nations to take action in the area of \u200b\u200basset recovery, and stated: "The criticism of the wealthy countries with regard to corruption in poor countries holds little credibility while their financial institutions hoard wealth stolen from the world's poorest people. "
In many cases the tracking and recovery of funds are hampered by money laundering, which is managed by transnational banks located in jurisdictions where banking secrecy is still standard. Pursuant to the UNCAC, should be allocated priority to improving international cooperation and mutual legal assistance, expediting action to recover assets, and the development of legal and technical capacity in countries to petition the return of stolen assets.
For many countries, repatriation of funds involve lengthy litigation and extensive. "In addition to ensuring adequate legal funding, priority should be given the simplification of procedures for the recovery of assets and provisions for external institutions for the latter acting as an agent in custody during the proceedings," said Muna.
Action Now: urgent action
As a problem of scale and global origin, the fight against corruption requires action on a broad front.
Developing countries should use humanitarian funds to strengthen the institutions of government, based on national assessments and development strategies, "and add integrity and preventing systemic corruption as part of programs for poverty reduction.
independence, accountability and judicial integrity should be strengthened to enhance the credibility of justice systems in poorer countries. Not only must judicial proceedings free from political influence, but judges should be subject to disciplinary action, and limited immunity a code of judicial conduct to ensure that justice is done. It requires a transparent and competent judiciary to ensure that developing countries can manage requests for assistance in recovering stolen assets.
Governments should take measures against money laundering in order to eliminate the havens for stolen assets, as envisaged in the UNCAC. Major banking centers should explore the development of expeditious and uniform procedures for the identification, freezing and repatriation of the fruits of corruption. It is essential to establish clearly the custody of property in cases of disputed funds.
Wealthy countries must regulate their financial centers more rigorously. Focusing on the role of trusts, demanding to know who the beneficiaries of these goods and strengthen the provisions against money laundering are just a few ways that rich governments can placate the facilitators of corruption.
The world's wealthiest governments must be strict in implementing the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention, which criminalizes the bribery of foreign officials. The lack of adherence to the provisions of the convention continues to hinder investigations and prosecutions. The boards of multinational companies should not only introduce but implement effective anti-bribery codes, and ensure that subsidiaries and foreign offices comply.
Transparency International is the civil society organization leading the fight against corruption worldwide.
Editor's Note:
The CPI is carried out for Transparency International by Prof. Johann Graf Lambsdorff of the University of Passau in Germany.
The Global Corruption Report 2007 of Transparency International, focused on corruption within the judicial system, was published in May 2007 and is available in www.transparency.org / publications / gcr.
Media Contacts: Jesse Garcia
Gypsy Guillén Kaiser Tel: +49-30-3438 20 662
Fax: +49-30-3470 3912
ggkaiser@transparency.org
www.transparency.org
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