How global corruption has ‘flourished’ during Covid-19 pandemic

Emergency measures to stem the spread of Covid-19 have “allowed corruption to go unchecked” in countries worldwide, according to a newly published report.

Researchers at Transparency International (TI) found that more than 130 nations “have made no significant progress against corruption in the last decade”, and that the ongoing health crisis has been “used in many countries as an excuse to curtail basic freedoms and side-step important checks and balances”.

According to the Berlin-based organisation’s latest annual Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), “two-thirds of countries score below 50, indicating that they have serious corruption problems, while 27 countries are at their lowest score ever”. A “worrying new normal is fast being established”, warned the anti-corruption coalition, as “accountability and transparency measures neglected or rolled back during the Covid-19 pandemic remain unrestored”.

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‘Business boon’

The findings outlined in the report show that corruption “flourished” last year, with the pandemic providing “a perfect shield – and sometimes as an unexpected business boon – for corrupt politicians”, said Politico’s Brussels Playbook.

“Even historically high-performing countries are showing signs of decline,” according to Transparency International.

As anti-sleaze measures “stagnate” in nations across the globe, “human rights and democracy are also under assault”, the report said. Protecting these rights “is crucial in the fight against corruption”, with “countries with well-protected civil liberties generally scoring higher” on the index.

Finland, Denmark and New Zealand were ranked joint first as the least corrupt countries. But only Finland got an improved score, while countries including Switzerland, Hong Kong, Austria, Canada, Australia, Belgium and Spain saw their ratings fall.

South Sudan, Syria, Somalia, Venezuela and Yemen were ranked the five most corrupt countries.

The UK was the eleventh least corrupt of a total 180 countries, with a rating of 78 – up by one point from the previous year – despite headlines about inconsistencies in the government’s PPE contracts process.

Europe

Western European and EU member states are continuing “to wrestle with transparency and accountability in their response to Covid-19, threatening the region’s clean image”, the report said. Across Europe, corruption perception was stagnant in most countries.

Slovenia reached a historical low, however. “The deterioration in Slovenia is worrisome but not surprising,” MEP Daniel Freund told Politico. Prime Minister Janez Jansa “has made no secret” of the fact that he views Hungarian PM Viktor Orban as “a role model”, Freund added.

Weak rules on PPE procurement during the pandemic are believed to have increased public perceptions that corruption is rife among the EU member states. The European Commission’s vice president for values and transparency, Vera Jourova described corruption as “a cancer for democracy”.

“It undermines people’s trust, it creates a perception that some are more equal than others,” she told the site. “The Transparency International report shows that in many member states there is room for improvement, and the commission stands ready to support them in their anti-corruption reforms.

“An effective fight against corruption requires all elements of the democratic system to be healthy, including independent media and the judiciary. This is why we are looking at all these aspects in our annual rule of law report.”

Middle East

In the Middle East and Africa, “the interests of a powerful few” have continued to “dominate the political and private sphere”, said the index report, as the “limitations placed on civil and political freedoms” as a result of the pandemic block “any significant progress”.

Countries across the Middle East reported similar levels of corruption to 2020. But already low levels of public trust meant few states ranked highly on the latest index.

“In light of rampant political corruption across the Arab states, the region is struggling to achieve any tangible results in the fight for transparency, human rights and democracy,” said Kinda Hattar, the Middle East and North Africa regional advisor at Transparency International.

“Not a single country has significantly improved since 2012. Political elites and private interests time and again overtake the common good to benefit themselves and maintain autocracy,” she added.

Africa

Corruption rates in African nations stagnated last year, with most of the countries continuing to rank low on the index. Transparency International’s partner in South Africa, Corruption Watch, warned in 2020 of a “growing number of reports of corruption related to the Covid-19 pandemic” in the nation.

Africa News reported last year that countries across the continent had been hit by “continued theft of Covid-19 response funds”, including “theft of cash and other incentives meant to caution against the impacts of the disease”.

Police in Malawi “arrested 64 people in April in connection with the misuse of Covid funds”, the site continued, and “an investigation done by a Kenyan journalist revealed in 2020 gross misconduct and abuse of funds meant for Covid-19”.

But despite calls for action, “nothing changed in South Africa”, with “theft, over-pricing and potential fraud” among the many continuing “scandals relating to the Covid-19 funds”.

Asia

Along with Eastern Europe, Asia remained the second-lowest performing region in the ranking, with an average score of 36. The scores for Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan dropped, while those for Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia all improved.

Corrupt leaders in the region have “reduced oversight of government spending and curtailed civil liberties” during the pandemic, Radio Free Europe reported last January.

“Some political leaders used the crisis to limit access to information, eliminate transparency requirements from public procurement rules, and renounce public accountability mechanisms,” said the report for the 2020 index.

Americas

The US recorded no change in its score, while Canada dropped three points amid “increased risks of bribery and corruption in business”, the latest index report said.

The authors cited the publication of the Pegasus Papers as evidence that Canada is “a hub for illicit financial flows, fuelling transnational corruption across the region and the world”.

Argentina posted the largest fall in points among the South American countries. The drop of four points followed a series of allegations about what the Center for International Private Enterprise described as “political disruption” and “systematic corruption”.