US HITS ROCK BOTTOM IN GLOBAL CORRUPTION INDEX
GREATRIBUNETVNEWS –THE United States has dropped to its lowest-ever rank in Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), slipping to 29th place out of 182 countries. Here are the key issues highlighted in the report:
– Lowest Rank Since 2012 : The US has fallen to its worst position since the index was relaunched using new methodology in 2012.
– Downward Trend : The US ranking has been declining over the past decade, with a score of 64 out of 100, indicating a highly corrupt public sector.
– Weakened Institutions : The Trump administration’s actions, such as pausing investigations into corporate foreign bribery and curtailing enforcement of a foreign agent registration law, have contributed to the decline.
– Targeting Independent Voices : Transparency International raises concerns about actions targeting independent voices and undermining judicial independence in the US.
– Tolerance for Corruption : The temporary freeze and weakening of enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act signal tolerance for corrupt business practices
As Transparency International CEO Maíra Martini said, “We are very concerned about the situation in the United States. This declining trend might continue.”
Corruption rises across democracies
The worsening of corruption in the United States was mirrored by “a worrying decline in performance” across other democracies, including Canada and the United Kingdom, Transparency International said.
The UK also achieved its lowest CPI score on record, 70, following a decade of decline. But its position in 20th place remained unchanged.
“We are not tackling the root causes of corruption in our politics,” Daniel Bruce, CEO of the UK chapter of Transparency International, said in a video posted to X.
He pointed to “mega donors” to UK political parties and “questionable public appointments,” referring to the criminal investigation into former government minister, Peter Mandelson.
Mandelson, who was briefly ambassador to the United States under the incumbent Labour government, is currently the subject of a police investigation for allegedly passing market-sensitive information to the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The scandal has plunged the government of Prime Minister Keir Starmer into crisis.
Bruce called on the UK government to “go further to remove the corrupting influence of big money in our politics.”
The global average score in the index also pointed to a deterioration globally: It fell to its lowest level (42), and suffered its first drop, in more than a decade. “The vast majority of countries are failing to keep corruption under control,” Transparency International said.
Denmark topped the index for the eighth year in a row with a score of 89. The public sectors in Finland and Singapore were seen as the second- and third-cleanest in the world.
Since the index focuses on public sector corruption, high scores do not necessarily reflect low levels of corruption across the board.
The private sectors in high-ranking Switzerland and Singapore, for example, “have faced scrutiny for facilitating the movement of dirty money,” Transparency International said
SOURCE ==CNN==EXCEPT THE HEADLINE AND INTRO PLUS A FEW PARAGRAPHS
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