Corruption Perceptions Index 2022

Corruption fuels impunity and undermines state legitimacy. By affecting the operation of law enforcement agencies, the courts and the prison system, corruption weakens the rule of law and the basic principle of equality before the law. Criminals are often aided by the complicity of corrupt public officials, police officers, prosecutors and judges, which allows them to operate with impunity. Where corruption levels are high, money and influence may decide which cases are prioritised or dismissed, who gets punished and who gets to walk free. This a major enabling factor of organised crime 14 and terrorism. 15 It also causes loss of trust in the state, which means people report crime and violence less – making it difficult to address these problems. It also threatens governments’ ability to mediate conflict or negotiate lasting peace. Democratic Republic of the Congo With a score of 20, the Democratic Republic of the Congo is one of the 15 most corrupt countries in the world. The unstable political context and deeply embedded corruption facilitate the activities of illegal armed groups. Poorly governed defence and security forces struggle to contend with such challenges and the corruption that robs them of resources undermines the state’s response. Serbia Serbia reached its all-time lowest score on the CPI this year (36). It has been slow in addressing organised crime, and responsible institutions are still lacking adequate resourcing and independence. Serbia’s judiciary is heavily influenced by political players, 16 severely undermining progress in organised crime cases, including those pointing to high-level officials’ involvement. 17 CORRUPTION AND RESILIENCE TO ORGANISED CRIME Countries with high CPI scores are more resilient to the threats posed by organised criminal groups. CPI 2022 Source: Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index 2022 and the Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime. 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 RESILIENCE TO ORGANISED CRIME (0 - low resilience to 9 - high resilience) TRANSPARENCY INTERNATIONAL 10