Wealthy Countries 'Allowing Corruption To Go Unchecked'

[Dover]

Source: Guardian

Wealthy industrialised countries including the UK are allowing overseas bribery to go unchecked through insufficient regulation of their private sectors, an anti-corruption group warned today.

The latest Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index said the poorest countries still had the highest levels of corruption.

However, it added that the data casts a "critical light on government commitment (in wealthy countries) to rein in the questionable methods of their companies in acquiring and managing overseas business, in addition to domestic concerns about issues such as the role of money in politics".

The UK, which is ranked 16th in the index - Denmark, Sweden and New Zealand were in joint first place as the least corrupt countries - was highlighted as one of the "notable European decliners" in the index because of the December 2006 decision to halt the criminal investigation of BAE in relation to the al-Yamamah arms contract with Saudi Arabia.

"The decision to stop the criminal investigation raised acute concerns over the UK's international obligation to combat corruption," Transparency International said.

The US, whose rating has fallen slightly in recent years, had a ranking of 18th, "one of the lowest among the world's leading industrialised countries"....>



Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/sep/23/baesystems

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Alert the media!


Hey, the horse is already out of the barn...and hobbled for an easy mount.

[defendandprotect]

1. What a surprise ... Capitalists BUY corrupt politicians and thereby contol of the nation ....

and the Treasury --

We need to uninvent this kind of "buying" of government --

and make it the CRIME it is --

[Psephos]

2. As opposed to corruption-free govts in third-world countries

uh-huh

government is corrupt by nature, just like any other concentration of power

[Dover]

3. 2nd sentence

The latest Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index said the poorest countries still had the highest levels of corruption.

[xchrom]

4. kick