Police in Liberia, Sierra Leone 'Most Corrupt'

To The Top Of The Corruption Heap, That Is; And The Two Might Not Be Stepping Down Any Time Soon, Global Survey Suggests

As though fighting for an enviable spot in the sun, Liberia and Sierra Leone have positioned (located, placed) themselves atop the global corruption heap, laying claim to the highest level of corruption reported from around the world. And as a result of their enterprise, more than 75% of respondents surveyed by Transparency International said they can do little but to paying a bribe when accessing public services and institutions.

Released Tuesday, Global Corruption Barometer 2013---with a special focus on bribery paid by nationals of countries all over the world, finds that one in four people around the world paid a bribe in the last 12 months, according to a major public opinion survey on corruption. So it didn’t come as a surprise when at least one in every two people surveyed in the 2013 Global Corruption Barometer thought that worldwide, corruption has worsened in the past two years.

The Global Corruption Barometer 2013 is a survey of 114,000 people in 107 countries and it shows corruption is widespread. The public opinion survey, conducted by Transparency International, reveals that 27% of respondents among the 114,000 people reported they paid a bribe for public services and access to public institutions.

The survey drew into the limelight, the judiciary, police, education and health sectors of most of the world’s nations, by asking its respondents (people who answer questions) whether they or anyone in their household had paid a bribe to one of these services mentioned above (education, health, judiciary, police, etc.)?

LIBERIA

So how did Liberia come to find itself on the top of the world and in the words of “New York, New York”---a song that that Frank Sinatra made famous---become king of the (corruption) heap?

When the spotlight panned (shifted horizontally from a fixed position to) Liberia, it showed that 75% Liberians paid a bribe in order to access education services during the last 12 months. at least 77% reported paying a bribe to the judiciary; 62% reported paying a bribe to the tax revenue collectors and 55% reported paying a bribe to public utility entities. Also, 51% reported paying a bribe to access registry and permit services; 77% reported paying a bribe to the police; 40% reported paying a bribe to access medical and health services.

At the same time, 86% Liberians told data collectors of Transparency International that corruption remains a problem in the public sector, with 63% noting that this government is run largely by a few big entities acting in their own interests, and 51% believing that government’s actions in the fight against corruption are highly ineffective.

The 46-page report released Tuesday shows 94% Liberians believe the police are corrupt; 89% think the Judiciary is corrupt; 87% believe the education systems are corrupt and 96% Liberians said the Legislature is affected by corruption.

Also, 78% Liberia believe doing business in Liberia involves corrupt practices; 71% think political parties are affected by corruption; 51% said the police/military are corrupt; 45% said NGOs are affected by corruption; 53% said the media are corrupt; 22% said religious bodies are corrupt; and 49% said medical and health services are affected by corruption. The report further shows that 67% of Liberian public officials and civil servants are corrupt.

 The Global Scene

Reverting to the global scene, the survey found that in too many countries the institutions people rely on to fight corruption and other crime are themselves not trusted. Thirty-six countries view their police as the most corrupt, and in those countries, an average of 53 per cent of people had been asked to pay a bribe to the police. Twenty countries view the judiciary as the most corrupt, and in those countries an average of 30 per cent of the people who had come in contact with the judicial systems had been asked to pay a bribe.

“Around the world, people’s appraisal of their leaders’ efforts to stop corruption is worse,” Transparency International said. “Politicians themselves have much to do to regain trust. The Global Corruption Barometer 2013 shows a crisis of trust in politics and real concern about the capacity of those institutions responsible for bringing criminals to justice. In 51 countries around the world, political parties are seen as the most corrupt institution. 55 per cent of respondents think government is run by special interests.”

The group said that “Politicians can lead by example by publishing asset declarations for themselves and their immediate family. Political parties and individual candidates, meanwhile, must disclose where they get their money from to make clear who funds them and to reveal potential conflicts of interest.”

“Governments need to make sure that there are strong, independent and well-resourced institutions to prevent and redress corruption. Too many people are harmed when these core institutions and basic services are undermined by the scourge of corruption,” said Huguette Labelle, the Chair of Transparency International. “Governments need to take this cry against corruption from their citizenry seriously and respond with concrete action to elevate transparency and accountability.”