{"id":1063,"date":"2014-12-03T10:44:52","date_gmt":"2014-12-03T10:44:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/covcasbulletin.info\/?p=1063"},"modified":"2014-12-03T10:44:52","modified_gmt":"2014-12-03T10:44:52","slug":"europe-central-asia-and-the-state-of-corruption-in-2014-the-gold-standard","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/covcasbulletin.info\/?p=1063","title":{"rendered":"Europe, Central Asia and the state of corruption in 2014: the gold standard?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><em>Transparency International<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/media.transparency.org\/maps\/cpi2014-640.html\" width=\"640\" height=\"520\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Perhaps it should come as no surprise that out of 175 countries in the <a title=\"Corruption perceptions index 2014\" href=\"http:\/\/www.transparency.org\/cpi2014\" target=\"_blank\">2014 Corruption Perceptions Index<\/a>, the once great economic hope of many \u2013 Turkey \u2013 suffered one of the biggest drops in score (down five points to 45 out of 100 on a scale where 0 is highly corrupt and 100 very clean). Images of <a title=\"Turkey's Corruption Scandal Exposes 'Gas-For-Gold' Scheme With Iran\" href=\"http:\/\/www.ibtimes.com\/turkeys-corruption-scandal-exposes-gas-gold-scheme-iran-1521278\" target=\"_blank\">gold bars<\/a> and millions of dollars stuffed in shoeboxes, coupled with <a title=\"The Latest Round In Turkey's Political Crisis Is A 'Sex Tape' Allegedly Involving Erdogan's Brother  Read more: http:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/mustafa-erdogans-alleged-sex-tape-circulates-online-2013-12#ixzz3KpLy5yJ3\" href=\"http:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/mustafa-erdogans-alleged-sex-tape-circulates-online-2013-12\" target=\"_blank\">incriminating videos<\/a>, the firing or resignation of government ministers, multiple arrests and sadly, a number of <a title=\"Isparta deputy police chief commits suicide\" href=\"http:\/\/www.todayszaman.com\/latest-news_isparta-deputy-police-chief-commits-suicide_334790.html\" target=\"_blank\">suicides<\/a>, topped the list of stories this year involving <a title=\"Turkey must clean up its politics or suffer even greater problems down the road!\" href=\"http:\/\/www.transparency.org\/news\/pressrelease\/turkey_must_clean_up_its_politics_or_suffer_even_greater_problems_down_the\" target=\"_blank\">endemic corruption at the highest levels of Turkey\u2019s business and government<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Too bad the government response was a <a title=\"Turkey: crackdown on the opposition and rule of law\" href=\"https:\/\/www.opendemocracy.net\/akadir-yildirim\/turkey-crackdown-on-opposition-and-rule-of-law\" target=\"_blank\">crackdown<\/a> on political enemies as well as thousands of police officers, prosecutors and regulators who were sacked or \u201creassigned\u201d, <a title=\"Press Statement on December 17 Investigations\" href=\"http:\/\/www.transparency.org\/news\/pressrelease\/press_statement_on_december_17_investigations\" target=\"_blank\">and not the corrupt<\/a>. The multi-headed corruption scandal was preceded by massive citizen protests last year and a <a title=\"Public\u2019s Outrage Over Mine Disaster Casts Harsh Light on Turkey\u2019s Premier\" href=\"http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2014\/05\/17\/world\/europe\/turkish-authorities-say-miners-still-missing.html?_r=1\" target=\"_blank\">mining tragedy<\/a> in May of this year directly related to corrupt practices. This has all taken the shine off Turkey with its nearly double-digit growth rate now <a title=\"Turkey\u2019s economic growth slower than expected\" href=\"http:\/\/www.ft.com\/intl\/cms\/s\/0\/c05636f0-38cb-11e4-a53b-00144feabdc0.html#axzz3KpNSwOlf\" target=\"_blank\">suffering<\/a> a similar decline to its Corruption Perceptions Index score.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Secret gold also featured in the revelations of corruption that engulfed the Ukraine, another poor performer in this year\u2019s index (a score of 26 out of 100). Pictures of a two kilogram solid <a title=\"Mystery Man Who Gave Yanukovych a 2-Kilo Gold 'Bread Loaf' Revealed\" href=\"http:\/\/www.themoscowtimes.com\/news\/article\/mystery-man-who-gave-yanukovych-a-2-kilo-gold-bread-loaf-revealed\/502707.html\" target=\"_blank\">gold bread loaf<\/a> and a <a title=\"26 things found in Yanukovych's compound that make him look even worse\" href=\"http:\/\/www.globalpost.com\/dispatch\/news\/politics\/world-leaders\/140222\/inside-yanukovych-compound-mezhyhirya-kyiv\" target=\"_blank\">golden toilet<\/a> \u2013 both found in ousted president Viktor Yanukovich\u2019s <a title=\"Inside the \u2018Museum of Corruption\" href=\"http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/video\/world\/europe\/100000002732759\/inside-the-museum-of-corruption.html\" target=\"_blank\">abandoned estate<\/a> \u2013 were potent symbols of the endemic corruption in the country.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Yanukovich fled the country in February this year after <a title=\"Inside Ukraine\u2019s protests\" href=\"http:\/\/blog.transparency.org\/2014\/02\/14\/inside-ukraines-protests\/\" target=\"_blank\">the people of Ukraine protested<\/a> the profligate corruption that marked his rule. In the end <a title=\"The Evolution Of Euromaidan\" href=\"http:\/\/www.rferl.org\/media\/photogallery\/euromaidan-politics-ukraine\/26648497.html\" target=\"_blank\">more than 100 people were killed<\/a> trying to speak up against corruption, a brave and shocking moment for us all. It\u2019s easy to blame individual corrupt figures, but Yanukovich\u2019s massive money laundering was only possible with the <a title=\"Looting Ukraine: How East and West Teamed up to Steal a Country \" href=\"http:\/\/www.li.com\/docs\/default-source\/publications\/ukraine_imr_a4_web.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">help of willing western banks and middlemen<\/a>, something EU governments have failed to tackle.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">That\u2019s why Transparency International has begun an international campaign to <a title=\"Unmask the Corrupt\" href=\"http:\/\/www.transparency.org\/unmask_the_corrupt\/en\/\" target=\"_blank\">Unmask the Corrupt<\/a>. The first step in this long road is for countries to make companies much more transparent so they cannot easily be used to illicitly launder stolen wealth. The real, hidden owners of companies are sometimes corrupt, and they must not be able to ship stolen cash across the world. That\u2019s why we ask every country to create a <a title=\"Open letter to G20 Leaders\" href=\"http:\/\/www.transparency.org\/news\/feature\/open_letter_to_g20_leaders\" target=\"_blank\">register of the real beneficial owner<\/a> of every company operating on its soil and to make that register public.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The countries of the European Union indeed have higher index scores than countries further east. But corruption scandals are not limited to Ukraine and Turkey. This year has been marked by numerous scandals in the heart of \u201cold Europe\u201d: in <a title=\"Nicolas Sarkozy charged with corruption and illegal use of influence by police\" href=\"http:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/news\/world\/europe\/nicolas-sarkozy-charged-with-corruption-and-illegal-use-of-influence-by-police-9577763.html\" target=\"_blank\">France<\/a>, <a title=\"A lot of bad apples\" href=\"http:\/\/www.economist.com\/news\/europe\/21631126-wave-arrests-upends-political-establishment-lot-bad-apples\" target=\"_blank\">Spain<\/a> and <a title=\"Mayor of Venice arrested in corruption investigation over city's flood barriers\" href=\"http:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2014\/jun\/04\/mayor-venice-corruption-investigation-flood-barriers\" target=\"_blank\">Italy<\/a> they included a former president, a current regional president and <a title=\"Spanish Princess Remains Suspect in Corruption Case\" href=\"http:\/\/online.wsj.com\/articles\/spanish-princess-remains-suspect-in-corruption-case-1415365492\" target=\"_blank\">members of the royal family<\/a>, not to mention dozens of politicians and influential business people. EU citizens also protested against corruption this year in <a title=\"Tens of thousands in Spain protest economic policy, corruption\" href=\"http:\/\/www.reuters.com\/article\/2013\/02\/23\/us-spain-protests-idUSBRE91M0E220130223\" target=\"_blank\">Spain<\/a>, <a title=\"Anti-corruption protests in Bucharest take off as Romanians get political\" href=\"http:\/\/www.globalpost.com\/dispatches\/globalpost-blogs\/rights\/protests-bucharest-rage-time-more-political\" target=\"_blank\">Romania<\/a>, <a title=\"Hundreds gather to mark 300th day of Bulgarian protest - See more at: http:\/\/www.euroviews.eu\/2014\/04\/11\/hundreds-gather-to-mark-300th-day-of-bulgarian-protest\/#sthash.SdEMx7KE.dpuf\" href=\"http:\/\/www.euroviews.eu\/2014\/04\/11\/hundreds-gather-to-mark-300th-day-of-bulgarian-protest\/\" target=\"_blank\">Bulgaria<\/a>, <a title=\"Over 10,000 Hungarians in anti-corruption protest \" href=\"http:\/\/bigstory.ap.org\/article\/eb90f1b256554468b5c437b2ad9826db\/over-10000-hungarians-anti-corruption-protesthttp:\/\/\" target=\"_blank\">Hungary<\/a>, <a title=\"Still protesting after all these years\" href=\"http:\/\/www.economist.com\/news\/europe\/21634255-two-halves-former-czechoslovakia-are-both-angry-their-political-establishments-still\" target=\"_blank\">Czech Republic and Slovakia<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Corruption Perceptions Index scores in many of the countries of the European Union remain unchanged or have improved slightly. In part, this is because the economic situation has stabilised, at least at present, and in some cases, governments are starting to tackle endemic corruption.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Although incomplete and piecemeal, <a title=\"Greece's Reforms Have Only Cracked the Surface\" href=\"http:\/\/online.wsj.com\/articles\/SB10001424052702304096104579239841866821608\" target=\"_blank\">the reforms that have been started in Greece<\/a>, for example, suggest an explanation as to why it has moved up the rankings by three points (and up seven points in the last two years to a score of 43 today).<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">We also welcome the gradual progress made by the UK in the last few years, which saw its score increase by two points, indicating the effectiveness of the <a title=\"THE BRIBERY ACT \" href=\"http:\/\/www.transparency.org.uk\/our-work\/business-integrity\/bribery-act\" target=\"_blank\">Bribery Act<\/a> on the UK\u2019s international reputation. But there is more to do, the UK should be in the top 10. The result next year may depend on the <a title=\"Upcoming: Government Action Plan on corruption\" href=\"http:\/\/www.transparency.org.uk\/news-room\/12-blog\/1106-upcoming-government-action-plan-on-corruption\/1106-upcoming-government-action-plan-on-corruption\" target=\"_blank\">government\u2019s upcoming anti-corruption action plan<\/a> and whether the new government, post-May, sticks to commitments made within it.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><a title=\"Knut Gotfredsen: Anti-corruption the Danish way\" href=\"http:\/\/cocreatenow.org\/2012\/11\/2208\/\" target=\"_blank\">Denmark<\/a>, at the top of the index again and up one point, with a strong rule of law, support for civil society and clear rules governing the behaviour of those in public positions, also set an example when it recently announced plans to create a <a title=\"GFI Praises Denmark Commitment to Crack Down on Anonymous Companies with Public Registry\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gfintegrity.org\/press-release\/gfi-praises-denmark-commitment-crack-anonymous-companies-public-registry\/\" target=\"_blank\">public register<\/a> including beneficial ownership information of all companies incorporated in Denmark. Two other Nordic countries, all relatively very strong performers on the index, nevertheless either saw some decline (Sweden down two points), or were flat as in Finland.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">A combination of corruption scandals and increasing awareness of the need for greater transparency and less favouritism is reflected throughout the Europe and Central Asia region, <a title=\"EU report a stark warning on persistent corruption in Europe\" href=\"http:\/\/www.transparency.org\/news\/pressrelease\/eu_report_a_stark_warning_on_persistent_corruption_in_europe\" target=\"_blank\">even in the cleanest countries<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The way business and other vested interests use political connections to influence public decision-making is at best opaque and often secret. In a forthcoming Transparency International report on lobbying in 19 countries in the European Union, no country comes even close to having ideal safeguards in place to promote open and ethical lobbying.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><em>Image by Transparency International<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>Transparency International Perhaps it should come as no surprise that out of 175 countries in the 2014 Corruption Perceptions Index, the once great economic hope <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/covcasbulletin.info\/?p=1063\" title=\"Europe, Central Asia and the state of corruption in 2014: the gold standard?\">[more &gt;&gt;&gt;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1064,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,6,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1063","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-region","category-turkey","category-turkey-human-rights"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/covcasbulletin.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1063","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/covcasbulletin.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/covcasbulletin.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/covcasbulletin.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/covcasbulletin.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1063"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/covcasbulletin.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1063\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1065,"href":"https:\/\/covcasbulletin.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1063\/revisions\/1065"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/covcasbulletin.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1064"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/covcasbulletin.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1063"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/covcasbulletin.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1063"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/covcasbulletin.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1063"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}