Corruption Perception Index: Escalation of corruption, devastating consequences

According to Transparency International Corruption Perception Index, BiH is placed at 91^st position, out of 180 countries, with a score of 38 on a scale of 0 to 100. The results show that it deteriorated compared to the last year.

Sarajevo, 22^nd February 2018 – Transparency International in Bosnia and Herzegovina (TI BiH) presented results of Corruption Perception Index (CPI) for 2017, on the basis of which Transparency International every year ranks the countries worldwide considering the perceived corruption level in public sector.

This year, Bosnia and Herzegovina received a score of 38 on the scale of 0 to 100, where 0 is the highest level of perceived corruption and 100 the lowest level of corruption, and it was placed at 91^st position, out of 180 countries covered with this study. BiH shares the position on the CPI list with Albania, Guyana, Sri Lanka and East Timor.

Comparing results in the last six years, whereby the scores varied from 42 for 2012 and 2013, which was the highest score for this period, to 38 for 2015 and 2017, it is obvious that BiH made no progress, and even deteriorated.

If we take a look at the region of the Western Balkans, BiH is still below Croatia (score 49 and 57^th position), Montenegro (score 46 and 64^th position), Serbia (score 41 and 77^th position) and Kosovo (score 39 and 85^th position), while Macedonia, as the country that deteriorated the most in the region (it is now at 107^th position with a score of 35), is placed below BiH.

In spite of the efforts of the entire world to put a focus on the anti-corruption fight, this year’s CPI indicates a very disturbing fact that many countries, including BiH, are too slow in their attempts to improve the situation, and did not make any progress in the last six years.

Srdjan Blagovcanin, Chairman of the Board of Directors of TI BiH, emphasized that the escalation of corruption represents a time bomb for the country. “We witness devastating consequences of corruption every day – a mass exodus of BiH citizens since they do not have a chance to get a job in the country due to the employments gained on the basis of clientelism, the unpunished alienation of the millions from the budget funds, are only some of the most visible ones. Nor there is an institution that was devastated due to the political control, which makes prospects for more successful anti-corruption fight even less possible.”

TI BiH pointed out at the presentation that the new encouragement and sort of opportunity are provided by the new EU Strategy for the Western Balkans, which clearly indicates the captivity of country by the political elite to be the key problem while the establishment of the rule of law is defined as the most important priority.