Monrovia – The Center for Transparency and Accountability in Liberia’s (CENTAL) report has announced results of the 2017 Corruption Perception Index (CPI) putting Liberia 122 out of 180 countries. The report states that Globally, Liberia ranks 122/180 with a CPI score of 31.
Report by Henry Karmo – [email protected]
Liberia’s CPI score has declined from 41 in 2012 to 37 and 31 in 2016 and 2017 respectively.
Compared to other countries globally, Liberia is the second biggest decliner with minus 6 points from its CPI score in 2016 (37) to (31) in 2017.
The only country we outperformed in the sub region is Guinea that scored 27; all others have better standings and rankings than ours, including Ghana (40) and Ivory Coast (36).
CENTAL in its report says it is deeply concerned about Liberia’s continuous underperformance, especially its position as the “Second Worst Decliner” worldwide.
“This speaks to government’s inability to address entrenched culture of impunity and enforce existing laws and policies.”
“Delayed investigation and prosecution of alleged corrupt officials, due to lack of political will, shielding of officials and appointment of relatives and cronies in key positions of trust, are seriously undermining the fight against corruption in the country.”
According to CENTAL, while this result evaluates former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s final year in office, its represents a challenge President George Manneh Weah has to address during his administration.
“It behooves the new administration to take giant steps in addressing the culture of impunity, which is the main reason for Liberia’s poor performance.”
The group is also recommending to the new government to reverse the trend and improve Liberia’s standing in the region and globally. By taking several steps which include; declaration and publishing of assets of the President and his officials.
Commissioning of a comprehensive audit of the past administration to ensure that those who embezzled public resources are identified and prosecuted “End the culture of impunity by mustering the necessary political will to prosecute allegedly corrupt officials of the previous administration and those accused of corruption in the current government.
“Scrupulously enforce existing anti-corruption laws and policies, including the Code of Conduct for Public Officials, which among other requires public officials to declare their assets as well as establishment of an Ombudsman to oversee its implementation.”
CENTAL also wants the establishment of specialized court to speedily prosecute corruption cases and pass whistle blowers protection and other relevant laws to enhance the fight against corruption in the country.
“Ensure the independence and vibrancy of anti-corruption by giving them full moral, financial and logistical supports to enable them effectively operate anti-corruption institutions like the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission, General Auditing Commission and Internal Audit Agency must lead by example in setting very high standards for officials and agencies of government.
“They must do more to uphold public trust and confidence as leaders of the country’s integrity building and anti-corruption efforts Ensure safe and secure environment for the media, civil society and other advocates to thrive.”
The Corruption Perception Index (CPI) was established in 1995 and is used to measure perceptions of corruption in the public sector in different countries around the world.
CPI scores and ranks countries based on how Corrupt their public sectors are perceived, according to experts and business people.
The score ranges from 0 to 100, where 0 equals the highest level of perceived corruption, while 100 equals lowest level of perceived corruption.
This year, 180 Countries were targeted, 4 more than in 2016. Findings show that the majority of countries are making little or no progress in ending corruption, as more than two-thirds of countries score below 50, with an average global score of 43.
Unfortunately, according to CENTAL, compared to recent years, this poor performance is nothing new, as Corruption still remains a major challenge globally.
Further analysis shows journalists and activists in corrupt countries are risking their lives every day in an effort to speak out.
Countries with the least protection for press and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) also tend to have the worst rates of corruption.
In 2017, New Zealand and Denmark rank highest with scores of 89 and 88 respectively. Syria, South Sudan and Somalia rank lowest with scores of 14, 12 and 9 respectively.
The best performing region is Western Europe with an average score of 66. Meanwhile, the worst performing regions are Sub-Saharan Africa (average score 32) and Eastern Europe and Central Asia (average score 34).
Although no country is free of corruption, the countries at the top share characteristics of open government, press freedom, civil liberties and independent judiciary, while Countries at the bottom are characterized by widespread impunity for corruption, poor governance and weak institutions.
In Africa, the best performers include Botswana (61), Seychelles (60), Rwanda (55) and Cape Verde (55) respectively.
Meanwhile, in West Africa, the best performers include Senegal (45), Burkina Faso (42), Ghana (40), and Benin (39).