Ukraine 144th in Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index 2012
Ukraine has placed 144th out of 176 in the Corruption Perceptions Index 2012 of Transparency International.
According to the data on the Web site of the organization, this year Ukraine got 26 out of a possible 100 points. The fewer points a country receives the higher level of corruption it has, according to the rating.
The organization said that last year Ukraine received 27 points, which means that the country is gradually moving backwards. The organization's press release reads that any result that is lower than 30 points is "shameful for a nation."
The main reasons for the increase of the level of corruption in Ukraine, according to Transparency International, is inactivity of the National Anti-Corruption Committee under the president of Ukraine, the lack of funding for the state anti-corruption program, amendments in the legislation on state procurement that hid in the shadows state funds in dozens of billions of hryvnias.
"Transparency International is seriously concerned about the situation when most of the steps taken by Ukraine for fight against corruption remain nominal," reads the statement.
In connection with this, the organization proposed that Ukraine carry out five key tasks in the fight against corruption.
In particular, the organization proposed the Ukraine fulfill the initiatives of the National Anti-Corruption Committee, as well as allocate funding for the state anti-corruption program and open access to information about state procurement.
In addition, the organization proposed to open access to the single register of people that were convicted of corruption, thoroughly carry out the regulations on the compulsory declaration of expenditures by officials, and open access of officials' tax returns.
In general, the survey showed that the level of corruption is still high in many countries. Particularly, two thirds of the countries on the list got less than 50 points.
Denmark, Finland and New Zealand lead the rating with 90 points, while Afghanistan, North Korea, and Somalia are at the bottom of the list.
