DAWN
The Internet
Edition

24 August 2000

Pakistan among five most corrupt states: WB
Bureau Report

ISLAMABAD, Aug 23: In terms of the perceived levels of corruption in countries, the only difference between the rich and poor is a matter of degree, notes the latest World Bank Report- 2000.

In support of this conclusion the report, entitled 'Partnerships for Development' has quoted the 1997 Perceived Corruption Index (PCI) prepared by the Transparency International which had ranked Nigeria as the most corrupt country in the world followed by Bolivia, Colombia, Russia and Pakistan.

According to the WB Report while surveys have shown that industrialized countries rank among the least corrupt, no country, rich or poor, could claim to be wholly virtuous.

"In Western Europe, as in Japan and the United States, an abundance of cases in the daily press demonstrates how vulnerable every society, no matter how developed, is to corruption, " the Report observed.

The World Bank and other multilateral institutions have defined corruption as "the abuse of public office for private gain," involving the seeking or exacting of a promise or receipt of a gift or any other advantage by a public servant in consideration for the performance or omission of an act, in violation of the duties required of the office.

It may also involve extortion of monies or theft by public servants of amounts due or payable to public coffers; and corruption may also be found in the political context, where donations are made to political parties and politicians so that, upon assumption of power, favourable decisions or actions may be taken for the benefit of the contributors.

In recent times the crime of money laundering has been added to the growing list of actions classified as corrupt practices.

Money laundering is included in the list because it involves actions designed to obscure the sources of monies being used in the economic system, most of such funds originating from illegal acts, involving not just drug trafficking but corruption and other offences as well.

According to the prescription of the report for combating corruption there are two separate, but complementary aspects of the fight, the first consisted of a set of upstream rules and norms of good behaviour (codes of conduct, manifestos, declarations) conducive to a corruption freee society (preventive approach).

And the second aspect consisted of anti-corruption laws propoer (general or specific legislative enactments), whose purpose is to provide appropriate remedies, including criminal sanctions and penalties, procedural rules, and institutional mechanisms, as needed, to combat acts of corruption that have already occurred (curative approach).

The report mentions in brief the success of Hong Kong's Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) - the world's most renowned anti-corruption agency.

"What makes the Commission remarkable is its advisory committees, which include representatives of government, the private sector, and civil society," the Report said.

The advisory committees of the ICAC imposes accountability: once an investigation is launched, its progress is followed closely, investigations cannot last for extended periods, and cases cannot be arbitrarily dropped. Although the Commission's achievements have encouraged other governments to create similar agencies, few have replicated the oversight function of the advisory committees, matched the budgets put forth by the Hong Kong government, or enjoyed the Commission's success.