Nepal second most corrupt country in South Asia: TI

Posted Date: 02 Dec, 2011

Category: News

KATHMANDU: According to the corruption perception index 2011 of Transparency International; Nepal is the second most corrupt country in South Asia after Afghanistan. Bhutan is the least corrupted nation of South Asia.

Transparency International (TI) is the global anti-corruption watchdog, which publish Corruption Perception Index every year. .According to Transparency International, Nepal is ranked 154th with a score of 2.2. Last year, Nepal was placed in the 146th position among 178 corrupt countries . The index had scored 183 countries and territories from 0 (highly corrupt) to 10 (very clean) based on perceived levels of public sector corruption. Two thirds of the ranked countries have scored less than five.


Among the South Asian countries, Bhutan is the least corrupt country placed in the 38th position and Afghanistan as the most corrupt in the 182th position. Similarly, Sri Lanka is placed in the 86th, India in the 95th, Bangladesh in the 120th and Pakistan and the Maldives jointly in the 134th positions.

The index is based on expert assessment and data from six international surveys commissioned by six independent institutions, covering issues such as access to information, bribery of public officials, kickbacks in public procurement, and the enforcement of anti-corruption laws and their outcome, action against the corrupt, political corruption, and bribery in export and import of goods.

“The cause of rampant corruption in public sectors has been attributed to the government’s lethargic performance to control the financial crime in political transition. It reflects the lack of will power and commitment on the part of the government and political parties to maintain good governance and that anti-graft bodies failed in their job,” said KC.

The report reveals that Somalia, North Korea, Myanmar and Afghanistan are the most corrupt countries, whereas New Zealand, Denmark and Finland are the least corrupt countries on the 183-country list.

TI adds that protests around the world, often fuelled by corruption and economic instability, clearly show citizens feel their leaders and public institutions are neither transparent nor accountable enough.

 

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