Barbados identified as least corrupt country within CARICOM

TRANSPARENCY INTERNATIONAL says only Guyana and the Dominican Republic in the Americas have improved their Corruption Perception Index (CPI) scores over the past decade, while the others have either stagnated or significantly declined.

The CPI ranks 180 countries and territories by their perceived levels of public sector corruption, according to experts and businesspeople on a scale of zero (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean). It analyses how injustice and corruption impact one another around the world. This year’s report will continue to compare levels of corruption over time, highlighting which countries have improved, regressed or stagnated.

In its 2023 CPI report report released here on Tuesday, Transparency International said Guyana and the Dominica Republic have improved their CPI scores over the past decade. All others have either stagnated or significantly worsened their scores

In Jamaica , collusion among the powerful, as well as the overwhelming dominance of the executive over the legislature weakens the parliament’s oversight capacities, creating conditions ripe for abuse and corruption, Transparency International said.

“Additionally, the executive’s failure to close gaps in the governance framework weakens the pursuit of corruption cases involving organised crime and fosters impunity of high-level corrupt elites.”

Venezuela, Haiti and Nicaragua have the lowest scores in the region, with widespread impunity and lack of independence of the judiciary.

“Countries across the region should work towards having strong independent judiciaries to bring about accountability and justice,” said Luciana Torchiaro, the Americas Regional Advisor of Transparency International.

Torchiaro warned that not doing so “erodes the very foundation of democracy and the rule of law.

“The continued weakening of checks and balances will only foster impunity for both the influential and corrupt to the detriment of the general public and the collective welfare.”

Transparency International said that over two-thirds of the countries scored below 50 out of 100 “which strongly indicates that they have serious corruption problems.

“The global average is stuck at 43, while the vast majority of countries have made no progress or declined in the last decade. What is more, 23 countries fell to their lowest scores to date this year,” it added.

According to Transparency International, Barbados is ranked the highest among CARICOM countries with a rank of 24 and a score of 69, followed by The Bahamas at 30 with a score of 64.

St Vincent and the Grenadines is ranked at 36 with a score of 60, followed by Dominica with a ranking of 42 and a score of 56, St Lucia 45th with a score of 55 and Grenada 49th with a score of 53.

Jamaica is ranked 69th with a score of 44, Trinidad and Tobago 76 with a score of 42, Guyana 87th with a score of 40, the same as Suriname, while Haiti is ranked with 172 with a score of 17.

Transparency International said in Latin America and the Caribbean, the lack of independence and transparency of the j udiciary promotes corruption and the undue influence of political and economic elites.

“This renders many j ustice systems across the region incapable of applying the law effectively in an impartial manner or exercising their function as a check on other branches of government, which is fundamental for all well-functioning democracies.”