ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s ranking on the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) has improved by seven positions — from 140 out of 180 countries in 2022 to 133 in 2023, which reflects that the anti-corruption efforts taken by different pillars of the state have witnessed an improvement, Transparency Inter­national revealed in its report released on Tuesday.

The data for CPI 2023, published by the Berlin-based corruption watchdog, shows that during the government of PDM in 2023, Pakistan’s ranking was 133 out of 180 countries while the CPI score was 29 out of 100. The period of 2022 covering the governments of PTI and PDM, the country’s ranking was 140 out of 180 countries, with CPI score of 27 out of 100.

The CPI ranks 180 countries and territories by their perceived levels of public sector corruption on a scale of zero (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean).

The Chair of Transparency International Pakistan, retired Justice Zia Perwez, while noting improvement in Pakistan’s score in the Index, said the government policies aimed at better governance and effective enforcement of the laws are expected to yield positive results in future, as well as through implementation of the recommendations of the Transparency International.

The corruption watchdog calls on governments to give justice systems independence, resources and transparency needed to effectively punish all corruption offences and provide checks and balances on power.

Where necessary, they must also introduce better procedures and laws to help justice institutions shield themselves from and target corrupt acts, it says.

The 2023 Corruption Perceptions Index shows that most countries have made little to no progress in tackling public sector corruption.

The CPI’s global average remains unchanged at 43 for the 12th year in a row, with more than two-thirds of countries scoring below 50. This indicates serious corruption problems.

According to the Rule of Law Index, the world is experiencing a decline in the functioning of justice systems. Countries with the lowest scores in this index are also scoring very low on the CPI, highlighting a clear connection between access to justice and corruption.

Both authoritarian regimes and democratic leaders undermining justice contribute to increasing impunity for corruption and, in some cases, even encourage it by removing consequences for wrongdoers. The impact of their actions is evident in countries everywhere, from Venezuela (13) to Tajikistan (20).

The Chair of Transparency International, Francois Valerian, said: “Corruption will continue to thrive until justice systems can punish wrongdoing and keep governments in check. When justice is bought or politically interfered with, it is the people who suffer. Leaders should fully invest in and guarantee the independence of institutions that uphold the law and tackle corruption. It is time to end impunity for corruption.”

Denmark (90) tops the index for the sixth consecutive year, with Finland and New Zealand following closely with scores of 87 and 85, respectively. Due to well-functioning justice systems, these countries are also among the top scorers in the Rule of Law Index.

Somalia (11), Venezuela (13), Syria (13), South Sudan (13) and Yemen (16) take the bottom spots in the index. They are all affected by protracted crises, mostly armed conflicts.

23 countries — among them some high-ranking democracies like Ice­l­and (72), the Netherlands (79), Swe­den (82) and the United Kingdom (71), as well as some authoritarian states like Iran (24), Russia (26), Tajikistan (20) and Venezuela (13) — are all at historic lows this year.

Since 2018, 12 countries significantly declined on their CPI scores. The list includes low and middle-income countries such as El Salvador (31), Honduras (23), Liberia (25), Myanmar (20), Nicaragua (17), Sri Lanka (34) and Venezuela (13), as well as upper-middle and high income economies like Argentina (37), Austria (71), Poland (54), Turkey (34) and the United Kingdom (71).

Eight countries improved on the CPI during that same period: Ireland (77), South Korea (63), Armenia (46), Vietnam (42), the Maldives (40), Moldova (39), Angola (33) and Uzbekistan (31).

Corruption and injustice

Independent, transparent and well-resourced judiciaries and law-enforcement institutions are central to keeping corruption in check. In turn, preventing the abuse of political power, bribery and other forms of corruption from influencing justice systems is key to ensuring their effectiveness.

The CEO of Transparency International, Daniel Eriksson, said: “Corruption worsens social injustice and disproportionately affects the most vulnerable. In many countries, obstacles to justice for victims of corruption persist. It is time to break the barriers and ensure people can access justice effectively. Everyone deserves fair and inclusive legal systems where victims’ voices are heard at every stage. Anything else is an affront to justice.”

Published in Dawn, January 31st, 2024