Ireland one of the most corrupt nations in the western world

IRELAND remains one of the most corrupt nations in the western world, a major international survey revealed yesterday.

Bribery is perceived to be far more rampant in this country’s public sector than in similar countries such as Britain. A corruption index gave Ireland an honesty rating of 7.4 out of a possible 10, well below the leaders Iceland, Finland and New Zealand which each received a score of 9.6.

The Republic’s ranking was the same as last year, but allowed it to rise one place to 18th in the honesty league, seven places below Britain, which scored 8.6.

The Corruption Perceptions Index drawn-up by Transparency International found a strong link between corruption and poverty, with a concentration of impoverished states at the bottom of the ranking.

“Corruption traps millions in poverty. Despite a decade of progress in establishing anti-corruption laws and regulations, these results indicate that much remains to be done before we see meaningful improvements in the lives of the world’s poorest citizens,” said Transparency International’s global Chair Huguette Labelle.

The 2006 league is a composite index that draws on multiple expert opinion surveys that poll perceptions of public sector corruption in 163 countries around the world. More than 70 countries — nearly half — scored below three, indicating that corruption was perceived as rampant. Haiti had the lowest score at 1.8, next came Guinea, Iraq and Myanmar each with a score of 1.9.

Among Irish Aid’s programme countries, Uganda made the most progress with its score rising from 2.5 to 2.7, up 12 places from 117 to 105. Ethiopia rose from 2.2 last year to 2.4. Other programme countries including Mozambique, Tanzania, Viet Nam and Zambia have seen their scores remain unchanged.