In its 2014 Corruption Perception Index released on December 3, the group said it ranked 175 countries it surveyed based on how corrupt their public sector is presumed to be.
The measurement is based on a scale of 0 to 100 with a score of 0 perceived as “highly corrupt” and 100 “very clean”. The Gambia was subsequently ranked 126th with an index score of 29.
José Ugaz, the chair of Transparency International while condemning the shoddy manner in which governments are fighting against corruption said of the 2014 report: “The 2014 Corruption Perceptions Index shows that economic growth is undermined and efforts to stop corruption fade when leaders and high level officials abuse power to appropriate public funds for personal gain. Corrupt officials smuggle ill-gotten assets into safe havens through offshore companies with absolute impunity. Countries at the bottom need to adopt radical anti-corruption measures in favour of their people. Countries at the top of the index should make sure they don’t export corrupt practices to underdeveloped countries.
“Grand corruption in big economies not only blocks basic human rights for the poorest but also creates governance problems and instability. Fast-growing economies, whose governments refuse to be transparent and tolerate corruption, create a culture of impunity in which corruption thrives. Countries at the bottom need to adopt radical anti-corruption measures in favour of their people. Countries at the top of the index should make sure they don’t export corrupt practices to underdeveloped countries.”
Other countries on the same rank with The Gambia include Kazakhstan, Honduras, Nepal, Azerbaijan and Togo.
Meantime, the report puts Denmark as the least corrupt country in the world with Somalia and North Korea as the most corrupt nations. Botswana maintained its spot as the least corrupt country in Africa and the 31st least corrupt country in the world, with 63 points, dropping from 64 in 2013.
]]>
