| Political corruption |
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| Forms and concepts |
| Anti-corruption |
| Corruption by country |
Corruption in Slovakia is a serious and ongoing problem.
| Political corruption |
|---|
| |
| Forms and concepts |
| Anti-corruption |
| Corruption by country |
Corruption in Slovakia is a serious and ongoing problem.
Transparency International’s 2021 Global Corruption Barometer indicates that corruption remains a problem in Slovakia: 19% of Slovaks surveyed thought corruption had increased during the previous year, and 11% had paid a bribe to a public sector worker. [1] High-profile corruption cases have plagued the country, including the “Gorilla” case that surfaced at the end of 2011. In this case, secret wiretap recordings between 2005 and 2006 were leaked to the internet, bringing to light millions of Euros in bribes paid by a private equity firm to Slovak government officials in exchange for privatisation and procurement deals. [2]
The 2021 Global Corruption Barometer asked Slovaks if most or all of the people in specific public, private and NGO institutions were corrupt. The public servants pointed out by the largest percentage of survey respondents (41%) as corrupt were members of parliament, followed by judges and magistrates (34% of survey respondents), national government officials (31%) and the prime minister (30%). [1] In order to combat corruption in the country, Slovakia has initiated several corruption reforms in recent years, including the creation of a central contract registry and publishing online all government contracts. [3]
On Transparency International's 2023 Corruption Perceptions Index, Slovakia scored 54 on a scale from 0 ("highly corrupt") to 100 ("very clean"). When ranked by score, Slovakia ranked 47th among the 180 countries in the Index, where the country ranked first is perceived to have the most honest public sector. [4] For comparison with worldwide scores, the best score was 90 (ranked 1), the average score was 43, and the worst score was 11 (ranked 180). Slovakia's score rose each year between 2020, when it scored 49, and 2023. [5] For comparison with regional scores, the highest score among Western European and European Union countries [Note 1] was 90, the average score was 65 and the lowest score was 42. [6]
Transparency International wrote of Slovakia in 2023: [7]
In Slovakia [...] previous progress in the prosecution of corruption is tainted by the government’s controversial dismissals in the justice sector. [8] This was swiftly followed by legislative measures aimed at closing the special prosecutor’s office responsible for combating corruption [9] and reducing criminal sanctions for corruption. If adopted, these changes would significantly undermine the rule of law and democratic stability, fostering an environment of impunity for corruption.
In August 2019, the Council of Europe’s Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) urged Slovakia to make more progress on the effectiveness of its legal framework and policies to stop corruption among employees with top executive positions and the police force. [10]
Corruption is ranked as the second most problematic factor for doing business in Slovakia, according to the World Economic Forum’s, [11] after inefficient government bureaucracy. Surveyed business executives report that public funds are often diverted to companies, individuals or groups due to corruption, and the lack of ethical behaviour by companies in their interactions with public officials, politicians and other companies represents a serious business disadvantage for the country. [12]
Companies consider the occurrence of irregular payments and bribes to be fairly common in connection with imports and exports, public utilities, annual tax payment, and awarding of public contracts and licences or obtaining favourable judicial decisions. [13]
Examples of areas where Cambodians encounter corrupt practices in their everyday lives include obtaining medical services, dealing with alleged traffic violations, and pursuing fair court verdicts. Companies are urged to be aware when dealing with extensive red tape when obtaining licenses and permits, especially construction related permits, and that the demand for and supply of bribes are commonplace in this process. The 2010 Anti-Corruption Law provides no protection to whistleblowers, and whistleblowers can be jailed for up to 6 months if they report corruption that cannot be proven.
Corruption in Sweden has been defined as "the abuse of power" by Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention (Brå). By receiving bribes, bribe takers abuse their position of power, which is consistent with how the National Anti-Corruption Unit of the Swedish Prosecution Authority specifies the term. Although bribes and improper rewards are central in the definition of corruption in Sweden, corruption in the sense of "abuse of power" can also manifest itself in other crimes such as misuse of office, embezzlement, fraud and breach of trust against a principal.
Corruption in Denmark is amongst the lowest in the world. According to the 2022 Corruption Perceptions Index from Transparency International, Denmark scored 90 on a scale from 0 to 100. When ranked by score, Denmark held first place among the 180 countries in the Index, where the country ranked first are perceived to have the most honest public sector. For comparison, the worst score was 12 and the average was 43. The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists reported in 2014 that Denmark has consistently been in the top-4 since the publication of the first Corruption Perceptions Index report in 1995.
According to Transparency International's Global Corruption Barometer 2013, corruption is a large concern in the public sector as more than half of the surveyed households consider Parliament, police, public officials, and particularly the judiciary and political parties very corrupt.
Corruption in Switzerland describes the prevention and occurrence of corruption in Switzerland.
Levels of corruption in Luxembourg are generally said to be very low, and there a strong legal framework for combating corruption in the country. Surveys however indicate that a majority of the population believe political parties are either "corrupt" or "extremely corrupt."
Corruption in Latvia is examined on this page.
In 2013, a report by Transparency International revealed that political parties, Parliament, the judiciary and the military are the most corrupt institutions in Portugal. Transparency International's 2022 Corruption Perceptions Index ranks the country in 33rd place out of 180 countries in the Index.
Transparency International's 2022 Corruption Perceptions Index scored Germany at 79 on a scale from 0 to 100. When ranked by score, Germany ranked 9th among the 180 countries in the Index, where the country ranked first is perceived to have the most honest public sector. For comparison, the best score was 90, the worst score was 12, and the average score was 43.
Corruption in the Netherlands is minimal in all major areas—judiciary, police, business, politics—as the country is considered one of the least corrupt within the European Union.
Corruption in Slovenia is examined on this page.
Both grand and petty corruption are serious problems in Tanzania yet various comprehensive laws are in place to prevent corruption. It is largely due to a weak internal control and low or non-compliance with anti-corruption regulations within different government agencies. For instance, public procurement, taxation, and customs service are areas that are prone to corruption.
On Transparency International's 2022 Corruption Perceptions Index, Peru scored 36 on a scale from 0 to 100. When ranked by score, Peru ranked 101st among the 180 countries in the Index, where the country ranked first is perceived to have the most honest public sector. For comparison with worldwide scores, the best score was 90, the average score was 43, and the worst score was 12. For comparison with regional scores, the highest score among the countries of the Americas was 74, the average score was 43 and the lowest score was 14.
According to several public surveys in Kosovo and reports from institutions such as the European Commission, levels of corruption and impunity among politicians are high.
The government in Moldova has in recent years taken several steps to fight corruption, including law enforcement and institutional setups. The prosecution of officials who are involved in corruption has also increased in recent years. However, businesses consider corruption a serious problem for doing business, and the business environment continues to be one of the most challenging in the region.
There are several sectors in Ethiopia where businesses are particularly vulnerable to corruption. Land distribution and administration is a sector where corruption is institutionalized, and facilitation payments as well as bribes are often demanded from businesses when they deal with land-related issues.
Corruption levels are perceived to be high by surveyed residents of Serbia, and public trust in key institutions remains low.
A general public survey on corruption from Transparency International shows that citizens perceive Bosnia and Herzegovina's political structures to be deeply affected by corruption. Two-thirds of citizens believe that the government's efforts to combat corruption are ineffective.
Croatia has severe problems with corruption, and among European Union member states, it is one of the top 5 most corrupt countries.
Transparency International defines corruption as "the abuse of entrusted power for private gain". Transparency International's 2022 Corruption Perceptions Index scored the United Kingdom at 73 on a scale from 0 to 100. When ranked by score, the United Kingdom ranked 18th among the 180 countries in the Index, where the country ranked first is perceived to have the most honest public sector. For comparison with worldwide scores, the best score was 90, the worst score was 12, and the average score was 43. For comparison with regional scores, the highest score among Western European and European Union countries was 90, the average score was 66 and the lowest score was 42. The United Kingdom's score of 73 in 2022 was its lowest ever in the eleven years that the current version of the Index has been published.