The Most Corrupt Countries In The Caribbean?

By NAN STAFF WRITER

News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Fri. Jan. 28, 2022: The annual list of most corrupt countries is out, and one Caribbean country scored its lowest score since 2012 while another significantly declined in the last 10 years.

The 2021 Corruption Perceptions Index, (CPI), from Transparency International, released this week, says that Dominica scored its lowest score since the earliest comparable year of available data in 2012, as its corruption index fell to 55.

TI also says Saint Lucia significantly declined on the Index in the last 10 years, meaning it got more corrupt.

The Index is the most widely used global corruption ranking in the world. It measures how corrupt each country’s public sector is perceived to be, according to experts and businesspeople. The CPI ranks 180 countries and territories by their perceived levels of public sector corruption on a scale of zero (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean). A country’s score is the perceived level of public sector corruption on a scale of 0-100, where 0 means highly corrupt and 100 means very clean.

A country’s rank is its position relative to the other countries in the index. Ranks can change merely if the number of countries included in the index changes.The rank is therefore not as important as the score in terms of indicating the level of corruption in that country.

Haiti scored 20 and remained the most corrupt nation in the Caribbean, according to the CPI. Jamaica at 44, has been struggling for several years. It has made some progress – the establishment of the Major Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Agency as an independent body, TI said, “and the corruption cases recently pursued by the Auditor General’s Department are two examples – but this comes alongside significant resistance to reforms from many politicians in the country.”

The Dominican Republic scored 30 this year and leaves behind its lowest ratings obtained in 2019 and 2020. “A stronger Public Prosecutor’s Office and Chamber of Accounts, along with the conviction and imprisonment of powerful political figures, have helped to improve perceptions of corruption. However, public institutions remain fragile,” the report said. “The country needs to strengthen the transparency, integrity and accountability of these institutions to bring about meaningful change. Otherwise, any progress made will quickly be lost.”

The only Caribbean country to improve its score was Guyana which scored 39 on the index.

Here’s Where The Caribbean Ranks

Barbados – 29 as it scored 69 out of 100

Bahamas – 30 as it scored 64 out of 100

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines – 36 as it scored 59 out of 100

Saint Lucia – 42 as it scored 56 out of 100

Dominica – 45 as it scored 55 out of 100

Grenada – 52 as it scored 53out of 100

Cuba – 64 as it scored 46 out of 100

Jamaica – 70, as it scored 44 out of 100.

Trinidad and Tobago – 82 as it scored 41 out of 100.

Guyana – 87 as it scored 39 out of 100

Suriname – 87 as it scored 39 out of 100.

Dominican Republic – 128 as it scored 30 out of a 100.

Haiti – ranked 164 as it scored 20 out of 100.

“The countries of the Americas are at a complete standstill in the fight against corruption. As corrupt leaders go after activists and consolidate power, the rights of the press, freedom of expression and freedom of association are under attack. Decisive action is needed to reverse this trend, protect civil society, and defend human rights and democracy,” said Delia Ferreira Rubio, Chair of Transparency International.

The 2021 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) shows that corruption levels remain at a standstill worldwide, with 86 per cent of countries making little to no progress in the last 10 years. The data sources used to compile the CPI specifically cover the following manifestations of public sector corruption:

Bribery

Diversion of public funds

Officials using their public office for private gain without facing consequences

Ability of governments to contain corruption in the public sector

Excessive red tape in the public sector which may increase opportunities for corruption

Nepotistic appointments in the civil service

Laws ensuring that public officials must disclose their finances and potential conflicts of interest

Legal protection for people who report cases of bribery and corruption

State capture by narrow vested interests

Access to information on public affairs/government activities.