Not so corrupt

Not so corrupt

The UAE has been seeing many high-profile cases of fraud in the last year, thanks to which the perception of corruption in the country is declining.

November 18, 2009 1:55 by Aarti Nagraj

Corruption in the UAE is decreasing - at least, that’s what the 2009 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) says, released by the global organization, Transparency International.

The country’s ranking rose to 30 on CPI’s 2009 survey, five spaces up on last year. Calling itself a “survey of surveys,” the CPI measures the perceived level of public-sector corruption in 180 countries based on 13 different business surveys.

Among the Gulf States, Qatar scored the highest ranking 22^ndin the list. It was followed by the UAE at 30, Oman at 39, Bahrain at 46, Saudi at 63, and finally Kuwait at 66.

Both Qatar and the UAE have improved their ranks since last year, and the report says, “It remains to be seen whether this [improvement] is due to increased political will to fight corruption or whether the negative effects of corruption are being masked by large surpluses, particularly in the oil and gas-rich Gulf states, which are fuelling rapid economic development.”

It adds: “The negative effects of the financial crisis have underscored the importance of improving governance across the region.”

Pages: 1 2 3

Tags: arrests, corruption, fraud, high profile, index, UAE