Ireland plunges in non-corrupt nations rankings

IRELAND has tumbled from 11th to 19th in the latest world rankings of the least corrupt countries for business, a leading international anti-corruption group said yesterday.

Transparency International said yesterday Ireland’s fall over the last 10 years meant the Government needed to do more to tackle corruption and boost perceptions of the country by businesspeople overseas.

The latest rankings gave Ireland 7.4 out of 10, down from 7.5 last year and 8.5 10 years ago. A ranking closer to 10 indicates that a country is perceived as “highly clean”, the group said.

Although high on the global list, Ireland trailed most of its near neighbours. Britain was 11th overall with an anti-corruption score of 8.6 out of 10, while nine other EU countries scored higher than Ireland. Finland was the highest-ranked EU country at 9.6 from 10, which made it number two in the global table behind Iceland. Denmark, Sweden, Austria, the Netherlands, France, Germany and Belgium were all ahead of Ireland.

Transparency International’s Irish office said the latest figures should act as a wake-up call to improve ethical safeguards here. Acting chief executive John Devitt said the Government should make things easier for people who wanted to crack down on corrupt behaviour.

“It could be time for the Government to look again at the high cost of appeals to the Information Commissioner and the lack of legal safeguards for whistleblowers,” he said. “Both will have a long-term effect on Ireland’s global reputation.”

Mr Devitt also said a decision to ratify the United Nations Convention on Corruption, which aims to stamp out bribery, embezzlement and money laundering, would be “a clear signal of Ireland’s commitment to fighting corruption both at home and abroad”.

Transparency International will hold the first-ever in-depth assessment of Irish anti-corruption laws next year. The group said the study would test the ability of Irish laws and institutions to fight corruption and enhance the country’s reputation overseas. Its Irish office is overseen by a board that includes former Taoiseach Garrett FitzGerald, Concern chief executive Tom Arnold, and economist Colm McCarthy.