Corruption is holding whole nations in poverty and hampering development despite pledges by political leaders to crack down on it, the anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International charged today in its annual report.
Its summary of perceptions of corruption in 102 countries had Bangladesh at the bottom, followed in ascending order by Nigeria, Paraguay, Madagascar, Angola, Kenya and Indonesia.
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The Republic of Ireland ranked 23rd on the list, behind other European countries like Britain and Germany but ahead of others like France and Italy.
"Political elites and their cronies continue to take kickbacks at every opportunity," chairman Mr Peter Eigen said, pointing the finger at both rich and poorer nations.
"Corruption is perceived to be dangerously high in poor parts of the world, but also in many countries whose firms invest in developing nations."
Seven of out 10 countries in the TI index, including many in the world's most poverty-stricken regions, scored less than five out of a perfect 10, he told a news conference in Berlin.
"Politicians increasingly pay lip-service to the fight against corruption but they fail to act on the clear message: that they must clamp down on corruption to break the vicious cycle of poverty and graft."
The TI Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) is a subjective reading, compiled from 15 polls gathered by nine institutions and focusing on graft in the public sector.
To qualify for the index, a country must rank on at least three different surveys.
Mr Eigen said there were undoubtedly other corrupt countries but there was not enough information to include them on the list.
Once again, rich countries were perceived as the least corrupt: the list was topped by Finland with a score of 9.7 out of 10, followed by Denmark, New Zealand, Iceland, Singapore and Sweden.
"Corrupt political elites in the developing world, working hand in hand with greedy business people and unscrupulous investors, are putting private gain before the welfare of citizens and economic development of their countries," Eigen went on.
"From illegal logging to blood diamonds, we are seeing the plundering of the earth and its people in an unsustainable way."
Other countries cited in the corruption index include Britain in 10th place on a score of 8.7, Hong Kong in 14th on 8.2, the United States in 16th on 7.7, Japan in joint 20th on 7.1, South Africa in joint 36th on 4.8, China in joint 59th on 3.5, and India, Russia and Zimbabwe joint 71st on 2.7.
Earlier this year, Transparency published an index of bribe payers, which addressed the propensity of companies from top exporting countries to bribe their way to contracts in developing countries.
It revealed high levels of bribery by firms from China, Russia, South Korea and Taiwan, but also from France, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Malaysia and the United States.
"Corruption is a malady afflicting not only the developing countries, but also the developed world," Transparency vice chairman Tunku Abdul Aziz said in comments in Malaysia released here.
"It is no respecter of nations, big or small, rich or poor."
AFP