Georgia’s Score Reduces in Corruption Perception Index 2017

Berlin-based Transparency International (TI) Secretariat has released the results of its annual Corruption Perception Index (CPI) 2017, according to which, Georgia’s score has been reduced.

The report, released on February 21, reads that Georgia is ranked 46th among 180 countries with the score of 56 points while in previous report Georgia’s score was 57 and it was ranked 44th. In the ranking, 100 points indicate the lowest level of perceived corruption while 0- the highest level.

TI Georgian branch reports that according to this year’s survey, Georgia’s decrease of the score by one point is considered insignificant, however, added that the stability of Georgia’s position in CPI over the past several years indicates that, after Georgia made a certain progress, its government still needs to enhance its anti-corruption efforts.

As for the country’s results during the last years the data looks as follows:

2012- 52 points (51th place)

2013 - 49 points (55th place)

2014 - 52 points (50th place)

2015 - 52 points (48th place)

2016 - 57 points (44th place)

TI says that despite the improvements, some measures need to be carried out in Georgia in order to further eliminate corruption:

1. Informal influence on state institutions should be eliminated and public and private sectors should be effectively separated.

2. Oversight of the Parliament of Georgia over the executive branch should be strengthened.

3. An independent anti-corruption agency should be created.

4. Independency and political impartiality of judicial authorities and law enforcement agencies should be ensured.

5. Independent, professional civil service should be created which will be free from nepotism and political influence.

6. Supervisory and regulatory institutions independency should be strengthened

Effective, anti-corruption mechanisms should be created in state enterprises.

7. Journalists, who reveal corruption facts, should be supported and proper measures should be carried out based on their obtained information.

8. Institutional independence of oversight and regulatory institutions, such as State Audit Service, State Procurement Agency, Competition Agency, Georgian National Communications Commission should be strengthened.

The organization says Georgia’s score in CPI 2017 is based on the following studies: Bertelsmann Stiftung’s Transformation Index, World Economic Forum Executive Opinion Survey, World Justice Project Rule of Law Index, Global Insight’s Country Risk Rating, Freedom House’s Nations in Transit, Varieties of Democracy Project.

As for the other countries, the level of perceived corruption is the lowest in New Zealand and Denmark (89 and 88 points) and the highest in Somalia (9 points), South Sudan (12 points) and Syria (14 points).