GLOBAL Bribery Risk Index put Bangladesh in the top position “Country with the highest risk” in terms of bribery threats in South Asia, in the updated index report titled Trace Bribery Risk Matrix, Bangladesh scored 72 out of 100 this year, which is two points higher than last year and 21-point higher than the global average of 51. Bangladesh has also fared poorly in measures taken to discourage bribery and anti-bribery enforcement.
In South Asia, Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only countries where the bribery risk is “high”. India and Pakistan ranked 78th and 153rd respectively. Bhutan, which has the lowest risk score of 41, was placed ranked 52nd. The five countries with the lowest bribery risk in the world are New Zealand, Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Finland.
Bangladesh has consistently been named a “high-risk” country on the Trace bribery matrix since 2014, when the first matrix was released. Business interactions with the government are the first domain where Bangladesh scored 86, which indicates that there is a high degree of government interaction in business, a high expectation of bribes and a high regulatory burden in the country. According to Transparency International’s annual report — Corruption Perception Index (CPI) 2018 — published in January, Bangladesh scored 26 out of 100, two points lower than the 28 in 2017.
The side by side run of development and corruption in the country is the single most factors that lagged the country’s potential development behind. The government’s latest focus on curbing corruption has gained popularity. We ask the government to make the ombudsmen provision of the government effective to oversight the institutional corruption. Unless we cease the multidimensional corruption, the economic development would be futile and expected development would be unmet.
In South Asia, Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only countries where the bribery risk is “high”. India and Pakistan ranked 78th and 153rd respectively. Bhutan, which has the lowest risk score of 41, was placed ranked 52nd. The five countries with the lowest bribery risk in the world are New Zealand, Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Finland.
Bangladesh has consistently been named a “high-risk” country on the Trace bribery matrix since 2014, when the first matrix was released. Business interactions with the government are the first domain where Bangladesh scored 86, which indicates that there is a high degree of government interaction in business, a high expectation of bribes and a high regulatory burden in the country. According to Transparency International’s annual report — Corruption Perception Index (CPI) 2018 — published in January, Bangladesh scored 26 out of 100, two points lower than the 28 in 2017.
The side by side run of development and corruption in the country is the single most factors that lagged the country’s potential development behind. The government’s latest focus on curbing corruption has gained popularity. We ask the government to make the ombudsmen provision of the government effective to oversight the institutional corruption. Unless we cease the multidimensional corruption, the economic development would be futile and expected development would be unmet.
