Corruption still reigns in the Mediterranean, says Transparency International

MEDITERRANEAN. As it has done every year since 1995, Transparency International has published its Corruption Perception Index (CPI). Its 2021 edition, published on Tuesday 25 January 2022, shows that Covid-19 has provided a pretext in many countries to restrict fundamental freedoms and bypass important control mechanisms. "In authoritarian contexts where control is in the hands of a few, social movements are the last check on power. It is the collective power held by ordinary people from all walks of life that will ultimately lead to accountability," said Daniel Eriksson, Executive Director of the Transparency International Secretariat.

Noting that "corruption takes very different forms in different countries", the German NGO's study finds that "this year's scores reveal that all regions of the world are at a standstill when it comes to fighting public sector corruption".

Based on public opinion surveys in 180 countries, the ranking of countries with the highest perception of corruption is based on an index from 0 to 100 (zero being the most corrupt and 100 the most virtuous). Denmark, Finland and New Zealand are all tied for first place with an index of 88. It is not until the 22nd place that the first Mediterranean country, France, appears with a score of 71.

The Mediterranean basin remains very contrasted in this respect. Of the twenty-five countries studied in this geographical area, only eight exceed the index of 50. In 2021, Greece will be pushed out (by one point) from the list where it appeared in 2020.

Still in Southern Europe, the situation in Slovenia is getting worse. Although its index of 57 remains respectable, it is the lowest level in history for this Balkan country. "Following the establishment of a relatively strong anti-corruption framework, it was revealed that the government neglected to apply existing rules guaranteeing transparency, efficiency and equal treatment of suppliers in public procurement during the pandemic," the NGO regrets. It also denounces "pressure on independent monitoring bodies, threats to freedom of peaceful assembly and disproportionate restrictions on the right to demonstrate" as well as "a smear campaign against the country's public media".

In Northern Macedonia, Dimitar Kovacevski, the new prime minister elected on 16 January 2022, has made the fight against corruption one of his priorities. Although it has moved up four places in one year, the country remains one of the lowest rated in Southern Europe, with an index of only 39.

"In the Middle East and North Africa, the interests of a powerful few continue to dominate the political and private spheres, and restrictions on civil and political liberties prevent any meaningful progress," the NGO notes. "Corruption is systemic, with deep roots in both institutions and daily life," it continues.

In this region, where Libya (index 17 as in 2020) and Syria (13 and second to last on the list, on a par with Somalia and just ahead of Sudan) have the worst scores in the world, Transparency International says that "systemic corruption endangers democracy and human rights".

Apart from these countries that are struggling to emerge from their civil wars, Tunisia is given an index of 44 (as in the last ranking). For the German NGO, "it has become an unfortunate example of how democratic gains can be lost". It points to the suspension of parliament in July 2021 by the elected president Kaïs Saïed, extended since, but also the closure in August 2021 of the premises of the National Anti-Corruption Commission (INLUCC), created in the aftermath of the 2011 revolution to succeed the Commission of Inquiry into cases of embezzlement and corruption. Its former president, lawyer Chawki Tabib, is under investigation for "suspected fraud and forgery". However, when the new government was sworn in in October 2021, the new Tunisian Prime Minister Najla Bouden announced that her priority was "the fight against corruption".

Lebanon is losing another index point (-6 since 2012), the biggest drop in the region after Syria (-13 over the same period). "Several laws passed in the last two years are far from being implemented. Lebanon also has significant gaps in public procurement procedures and financial transparency," the NGO notes. "Of all the offshore companies revealed in the Pandora Papers leaks, Lebanese politicians and businessmen own the largest number, 346 companies. Although several public and politically exposed figures have been named, no investigation has been undertaken by the Lebanese authorities," laments Transparency International. Riad Salamé, Governor of the Central Bank of Lebanon, was recently banned from leaving the country by the public prosecutor at the Court of Appeal of the Mount Lebanon region (centre) on 11 January 2022.

Rang mondial 2021	Pays	IPC 2021	IPC 2020
22	France	71	69
32	Portugal	62	61
34	Espagne	61	62
36	Israël	59	60
41	Slovénie	57	60
42	Italie	56	53
49	Malte	54	53
52	Chypre	53	57
58	Grèce	49	50
58	Jordanie	49	49
63	Croatie	47	47
64	Monténégro	46	45
70	Tunisie	44	44
87	Kosovo	39	36
87	Maroc	39	40
87	Macédoine du Nord	39	35
96	Serbie	38	38
96	Turquie	38	40
110	Albanie	35	36
110	Bosnie-Herzégovine	35	35
117	Algérie	33	36
117	Égypte	33	33
154	Liban	24	25
172	Libye	17	17
178	Syrie	13	14

Table: econostrum.info (sources: Transparency International CPI 2021 Report)