By Tapeng Michael Ohure
South Sudan has been ranked the most corrupt country in the world, according to a new report by Corruption Perception Index, (CPI), an international organization that monitors corruption globally.
The ranking was derived from a study on 180 countries across the globe.
Syria ranked as the second most corrupt country and Somalia came third.
“Authoritarianism makes anti-corruption efforts dependent on the whims of an elite,” Delia Ferreira Rubio, the chairperson of Transparency International, who compiled the report, said.
“Ensuring that civil society and the media can speak freely and hold power to account is the only sustainable route to a corruption-free society.”
CPI named Denmark, Finland and New Zealand, as the most corruption free States.
Norway, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Germany complete the top 10.
CPI said countries that are experiencing armed conflict or authoritarianism tend to earn the lowest scores, including Venezuela, Yemen, North Korea, Afghanistan, Libya, Equatorial Guinea and Turkmenistan.
It said the control of corruption has stagnated or worsened in 86 percent of countries over the last decade.
“While corruption takes vastly different forms from country to country, this year’s scores reveal that all parts of the globe are at a standstill when it comes to fighting public sector corruption,” CPI said.
“The report also says armed conflict, violent transitions of power and increasing terrorist threats combined with poor enforcement of anti-corruption commitments rob citizens of their basic rights and services in Sub-Saharan Africa,” it said.
