BERLIN, CMC – Transparency International (TI) Tuesday said no country in the Americas, including the Caribbean, had significantly improved its score since 2017 as it released the 2022 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) showing that corruption remains prevalent across the Americas, as rates remain stagnant in the region.
The CPI ranks 180 countries and territories by their perceived levels of public sector corruption from zero (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean). America’s average is 43, and nearly two-thirds of countries rank below 50.
According to the TCI, Barbados (65) scored the highest among the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries, followed by Bahamas (64), Dominica (55), St. Lucia (55), Grenada (52), Jamaica (44), Trinidad and Tobago (42), Suriname (40) and Haiti (17).
TCI said that weak law enforcement institutions and high levels of corruption have allowed drug cartels to expand to the Caribbean. In Transparency International’s 2019 Global Corruption Barometer, 50 percent of the population in Jamaica and 61 percent in Trinidad and Tobago considered the police corrupt.
Guyana has significantly risen in the CPI over the last 12 years; however, recently, the country has stagnated. TCI said the oil-rich nation must still emphasize building a well-functioning democratic system and implementing more significant levels of transparency and oversight, especially in the extractive industry.
“Corruption in this sector implies the loss of billions of dollars, which could be used to improve public services and development in one of the poorest countries in the hemisphere.”
TCI said while Trinidad and Tobago saw a decrease in homicides during the pandemic, crime remains a significant problem for both Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries.
TCI said Canada (74), Uruguay (74), and the United States (69) lead the region, while Nicaragua (19), Haiti (17), and Venezuela (14) are the lowest in the area, all of which have public institutions that criminal networks have infiltrated.
“Since 2017, Honduras (23), Nicaragua (19), and Haiti (17) have significantly declined on their CPI scores,” CPI said in a statement, calling on governments in the Americas to prioritize the fight against corruption by reinforcing checks and balances, strengthening public institutions, upholding rights to information, freedom of expression and press, protecting whistle-blowers from ridding the Americas of crime finally – and the violence it brings.
“The good news is that leaders can simultaneously fight corruption and promote peace. Governments must open space to include the public in decision-making – from activists and business owners to marginalized communities and young people. In democratic societies, the people can raise their voices to help root out corruption and demand a safer world for us all,” said Daniel Eriksson, TCI’s chief executive officer.
TCI said in the Americas. Corruption has weakened public institutions, allowing criminal networks to flourish, destabilizing governments, and increasing regional violence.
“This vicious spiral most hurts those who are already in dire need, including indigenous and Afro-descendent groups, LGBTQ communities, women and girls, as well as decimating the environment and natural resources.”
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