NEW DELHI: Transparency International in its latest report has stated that ‘weakening justice’ systems in the world have left corruption unchecked. Released on Tuesday in Berlin, the 2023 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) says most countries have made little or no progress in tackling public sector corruption with more than two-thirds of countries scoring below 50. It indicates serious corruption problems, it said.
Francois Valerian, chair of Transparency International said, “Corruption will continue to thrive until justice systems can punish wrongdoing and keep governments in check.”
Touching upon India’s status on corruption, the report ranked India 93 out of 180 countries on the corruption perceptions index for 2023 as its overall score remained largely “unchanged”. The report’s index, which ranks 180 countries and territories by their perceived levels of public sector corruption according to experts and business people, uses a scale of 0 to 100, where 0 is highly corrupt and 100 is very clean. It said that India’s overall score was 39 in 2023 while in 2022; it was 40 with India ranked in 2022 at 85.
It states, “India (39) shows score fluctuations small enough that no firm conclusions can be drawn on any significant change. However, ahead of the elections, India sees further narrowing of civic space, including through the passage of a (telecommunication) bill that could be a grave threat to fundamental rights.”
The report adds that in South Asia, both Pakistan (133) and Sri Lanka (115) grapple with their respective debt burdens and ensuing political instability. “However, the two countries have strong judicial oversight, which is helping to keep the government in check,” the report claimed.