Middle East sees no progress in fighting corruption: report

The hope for Arab countries to fight corruption and end impunity has not seen any progress, despite political changes over the last six years, according to Transparency International's 2016 Corruption Perceptions Index, published Wednesday (January 25th).

On the contrary, the majority of Arab countries have failed to fulfill the will of the people to build democratic systems allowing for greater transparency and accountability, the graft watchdog's annual report said.

The watchdog uses data from institutions including the World Bank, the African Development Bank and business school IMD to compile the perceptions of the scale of public sector corruption.

The score runs from zero, which is highly corrupt, to 100, which is very clean.

The failure to fight corruption explains the sharp drop of most of Arab countries in the Corruption Perceptions Index 2016.

A full 90% of countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) have scored below 50, which is a failing grade. The UAE and Qatar have managed to remain above the average, in spite of their declined scores.

Five out of the 10 most corrupt countries in the world are from the region: Iraq, Libya, Sudan, Yemen and Syria. These countries also face political instability, war, internal conflicts and terrorism, the watchdog said, stressing that war and conflict fuel corruption and in particular political corruption.

Gulf States have dropped on the index, with Qatar showing the sharpest decline in the overall index this year by 10 points. Jordan also dropped below 50 compared with last year, while corruption levels in Egypt are still high.

In order for Arab countries to improve, they must ensure effective transparent systems that allow for accountability are in place, the report said.

They must put an end to political corruption in all its forms, protect freedom of expression and stop persecuting anti-corruption activists, whistle-blowers and civil society organisations.

The independence of the judiciary, as well as auditing bodies, must be respected, the report said, adding that these reforms cannot be achieved without real and serious political will from governments.

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