World Faltering in Battle Against Corruption, Watchdog Warns

Transparency International has issued a report cautioning that the global fight against corruption is being impeded by a widespread deterioration of justice and the rule of law.

Transparency International has issued a warning that the fight against corruption is being impeded by a global decline in justice and the rule of law.

A total of 23 countries hit their worst levels since the inception of the group’s Corruption Perceptions Index three decades ago. Globally most countries made little to no progress, with over two-thirds scoring below 50 out of 100 on the CPI 2023 rankings.

High-scoring democracies such as Iceland, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the UK, as well as authoritarian countries like Iran, Russia, and Venezuela, have seen a decline in their efforts against corruption.

Democracy is suffering corruption

“When corruption is ignored democracy suffers,” Transparency International’s western Europe coordinator Flora Cresswell told RFI.

The report has identified weakening justice systems, declining rule of law, and political appointments skewing decision-making as contributing factors, as well as a rise in authoritarianism.

In Europe, the average score dropped for the first time in a decade. With upcoming elections, Cresswell says that “governments need to take fighting corruption and upholding the rule of law more seriously”.

The index warns that democratic European governments are adopting increasingly authoritarian behaviours.

Poor accountability or political corruption, particularly in countries like Hungary and Poland, too often undermines the rule of law, Cresswell says.

“There are also trends in countries such as Greece and Slovakia, with rollbacks in the rule of law opening the door to corruption and also damaging democratic institutions,” she adds.

France and the Sahel into corroption

Despite implementing strong measures against corruption over the last decade, France saw a one-point drop in its score.

“There’s been stagnation over the past decades because there’s a lack of political will at the highest level to combat corruption, particularly when it comes to political integrity,” Cresswell says.

“For example, the continuation of Eric Dupond-Moretti at the Ministry of Justice following a conflict of interest investigation … really doesn’t set a good example.”

The CPI score for former French colonies in Sub-Saharan Africa has remained static at 33, although the overall African region itself has seen mixed results.

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A spate of military takeovers in Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso and Chad does not appear to have affected their albeit low ranking.

“A CPI score drops several years after these bigger events take place,” Cresswell says.

While the African region has shown varied scores for 2023, the US remains unchanged with a score of 69.

With the upcoming US elections, the importance of an independant judiciary in the world’s biggest democracy adds a layer of uncertainty to the future of anti-corruption efforts worldwide.