Transparency International launches Global Corruption Report

Transparency International released its Global Corruption Report (GCR) for 2009 on Wednesday, June 3. The GCR analyzes public perception of corruption in the judicial system, the mass media, parliament, political parties, private and public sector, Info-Prim Neo reports. The study was carried out between October 25, 2008 and February 25, 2009 and covered 73,132 persons from 69 countries, including Moldova. In a press release, Transparency International says that the political parties and the civil service are perceived on average to be the most corrupt sectors around the world. Experience of petty bribery is reported to be growing in some parts of the world. The most corrupt sectors in Moldova are: justice and the private/business sector (3.7 points), the political parties and public institutions (3.6 points), the parliament (3.4 points) and the mass media (3.1 points). According to the GCR, the public in Moldova considers that the Governments’ efforts to tackle corruption are ineffective. The fight against corruption must remain a priority for the Moldovan authorities, who should fulfill the commitments assumed at international and regional levels in order to achieve results. Globally, more than 1 in 10 people interviewed reported having paid a bribe in the previous 12 months, reflecting reported levels of bribery similar to those captured in the 2005 Barometer. For 4 in 10 respondents who paid bribes, payments amounted, on average to around 10 per cent of their annual income. Ordinary people do not feel empowered to speak out about corruption. Three quarters of people who reported paying bribes did not file a formal complaint. About half of bribery victims interviewed did not see existing complaint mechanisms as effective. The private sector is perceived to be corrupt by half of those interviewed: a notable increase of 8 per cent compared to five years ago. More than half of respondents held the view that bribery is often used to shape policies and regulations in companies’ favor. Overall, the general public considers their governments’ efforts to tackle corruption to be ineffective. Only 31 per cent perceived them as effective compared to the 56 per cent that viewed anti-corruption measures to be ineffective. There were no major changes in recorded opinion on government anti-corruption efforts in 2009 when comparing those countries assessed in the last edition of the Barometer in 2007.