Tomasz Konopka 
Soltysinski Kawecki & Szlezak, Warsaw
tomasz.konopka@skslegal.pl

In the 28th edition of the Corruption Perceptions Index 2022 Report (‘the CPI’), 180 countries and territories were examined.

The best possible score to obtain was 100/100 and 0/100 was the worst – meaning the most corrupt. Statistically, the global average in the CPI has remained unchanged for the 11th year in the row, at the level of 43 points out of 100. What is more, two-thirds of countries scored 50 out of 100 or less. In the overwhelming majority of cases, 95 per cent of countries were found to be making little to no progress in the field of corruption since 2017. The best performers in descending order were Denmark, Finland and New Zealand, and the worst were South Sudan, Syria and Somalia, again in that order.

In the past, the best-performing countries were those from Western Europe, but unfortunately even these countries have now been declining in the ranking for various reasons, such as undue influence over decision-making, poor enforcement of integrity safeguards and threats to the rule of law,  all of which result in undermining government effectiveness.

At the other end of the performance spectrum are mostly those countries from the Americas, Eastern Europe, Central Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. This is due to restrictions and attacks being carried out on civic space and basic freedoms, resulting in a flourishing increase in corruption.

Another recurring issue, which is strongly evident in the Asia-Pacific region, is the conflict of interest between measures meant for fighting the Covid-19 pandemic and the implementation of anti-corruption strategies, which fall victim to the strengthening of power in the name of ’effective’ pandemic regulations.

Regional summary

1. Europe has an average score in CPI 2022 of 66/100, with 96 per cent of countries with stagnant or declining tendencies, with the only exception being Ireland. There were a number of corruption scandals that emerged in Europe in 2022, with the Uber Files scandal, government ties to Gazprom and allegations of bribery from Qatar and Morocco in the European Parliament. A different problem, which is unfortunately universal, concerns lobbying regulations and weaknesses in governmental integrity. The war in Ukraine itself may also have a negative impact on corruption tendencies.
2. The Americas have an average score in CPI 2022 of 43/100. A positive path can be seen in the United States, after several years of contrary trends and, in Brazil, it is hoped that it is possible to reverse the government-created and institutionalised corruption scheme. On the other hand, some countries in the region have taken extreme measures in dealing with criminal gangs and drug cartels by concentrating power in the executive branch which has resulted in reduced transparency and accountability and has threatened human rights.
3. The Asia-Pacific region has an average score in CPI 2022 of 45/100. Australia, after years of decline has taken meaningful action to fight corruption with its government creating a new Anti-Corruption Commission, as well as pledging to protect whistleblowers. Unfortunately, this cannot be said for Malaysia, which had the 1MDB corruption scandal (an abbreviation of 1Malaysia Development Berhad (which means limited)), considered to be one of the largest in the world, with its former Prime Minister being jailed for misappropriating over $136bn.
4. The Middle East and Africa have an average score in CPI 2022 of just 32/100, due to authoritarianism, long-running conflicts, political misconduct and private interests overtaking the common good. The Gulf States have all registered a decline. The Seychelles are the top-ranked country in the region, with a score of 70/100.

Recommendations

1. Reinforce checks and balances and promote the separation of powers, together with providing sufficient resources and independence in the functioning of institutions.
2. Share information and uphold the right to access information, by giving the public the right to receive accessible, accurate, timely and meaningful information on public spending and distribution of resources.
3. Regulate lobbying.
4. Combat transnational corruption.