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| Africa Horn |
| Somalia is world's most corrupt country- watchdog |
| 2008-09-24 |
| (SomaliNet) An international watchdog's annual report said Tuesday that Somalia remains rooted to the bottom of a global corruption index that also features Iraq and Afghanistan among the world's most corrupt countries. Transparency International's annual Corruption Perceptions Index said rich European countries such as Britain and Italy also have slipped adding that Denmark, Sweden and New Zealand share the honor of being the world's least corrupt countries. There was little change at the bottom from last year -- with Somalia closely followed, as in 2007, by Myanmar, Iraq and Haiti. Just ahead of them was Afghanistan, which slipped to 176th place from 172nd. Berlin-based Transparency said the index ''highlights the fatal link between poverty, failed institutions and graft.'' The ranking measures perceived levels of public sector corruption in 180 countries and draws on surveys of businesses and experts. ''In the poorest countries, corruption levels can mean the difference between life and death, when money for hospitals or clean water is in play,'' Transparency chairwoman Huguette Labelle said in a statement, describing the combination of corruption and poverty as ''an ongoing humanitarian disaster.'' Somalia has lacked an effective central government since 1991, leaving the country in the grip of violence and anarchy. There were some bright spots in the new report: the report showed African powerhouse Nigeria improving to 121st place from 147th last year, reflecting increasingly positive perceptions of the country's new government. Georgia rose to 67th place from 79th, showing that the government's ''early reform efforts were highly effective in earning public confidence and improving the country's international image,'' the report said. But it added that, while petty corruption is generally agreed to have declined, grand corruption is a persistent concern. Labelle stressed that ''even in more privileged countries, with enforcement disturbingly uneven, a tougher approach to tackling corruption is needed.'' The report pointed to worsening performances by Britain, which slipped to 16th from 12th, and Italy, down to 55th from 41st. It said Britain's perceived anti-corruption credentials suffered from a decision by its anti-fraud agency to halt an inquiry into whether one of the world's largest arms dealers offered bribes in exchange for lucrative contracts in Saudi Arabia; while fraud and corruption cases in the public health system weighed on Italy. Another decliner in the European Union was Bulgaria -- described as ''still wary of tackling political corruption'' -- which slipped to 72nd from 64th. Finland, tied for first place last year, slid to fifth because of a lack of transparency in election campaign finance. The U.S. was in 18th place, compared with 20th last year. The report noted that it remains among the lowest-ranked leading industrial countries. ''Contributing factors may include a widespread sense that political finance is in need of reform, with lobbyists and special interest groups perceived to have an unfair hold on political decision-making,'' the report said. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #10 Guess they don't count Louisiana, New Jersey, etc as separate entities [even though their state GDP is probably higher than some countries]. We could probably take several of the top 20 positions just on those. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2008-09-24 17:19 |
| #9 LOL mojo |
| Posted by: sinse 2008-09-24 14:35 |
| #8 Thank God for Watchdogs. I would have never guessed this if I didn't actually see it in print. /cynical sarcasm unbridled |
| Posted by: Jack is Back! 2008-09-24 13:19 |
| #7 I betcha they offered a bribe to get this ranking. |
| Posted by: GORT 2008-09-24 11:45 |
| #6 "WE'RE NUMBER ONE! WE'RE NUMBER ONE!" |
| Posted by: mojo 2008-09-24 11:11 |
| #5 The poor souls. I know what to do ! Let's bring more of them to the US ! I bet we can show them the error of their ways. |
| Posted by: Woozle Elmeter 2700 2008-09-24 10:54 |
| #4 The U.S. was in 18th place, compared with 20th last year. Hopefully the congressional Wall Street bailout will move us into single digits. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2008-09-24 08:42 |
| #3 Must be some really sharp guys over at Transparency International... |
| Posted by: tu3031 2008-09-24 08:39 |
| #2 guess i shouldn't have bought that condo on the coast in somalia |
| Posted by: sinse 2008-09-24 08:10 |
| #1 Somalia is not a country. It is a region. |
| Posted by: 3dc 2008-09-24 01:17 |