A study released by the International Transparency Organization on Tuesday, found Israel to be among the most corrupt countries in the Western World. The 2010 study ranked 178 countries. A score of one was given for the least corrupt. Israel was listed at number 30.The research shows that Israel received a score of 6.1 out of 10 in the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), which ranks countries according to the perception of corruption as judged by the public sector.
Taking into account only the corruption dates of the 33 OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) members, Israel is in the 22nd place. Although Israel was accepted unanimously in the OECD in May 2010, it is the organization’s poorest member, with the widest social gaps.
In addition, Transparency International Israel CEO, Galia Sagi, said that while in other countries improvement had been made over the past year, Israel’s CPI (Corruption Perceptions Index) score has not significantly improved since 2007, and since then, has deteriorated considerably. Haaretz reported Sagi as saying, ‘Even though corruption is discussed and condemned, Israeli politicians are not doing enough to deal with it. If the political leadership does not prioritize this issue, nothing will change,’
Meanwhile, the United States has dropped out of the ‘top 20’ in a global league table of least corrupt nations, falling to 22nd place. Financial scandals and the influence of money in politics are the reasons of this fall.
Denmark, New Zealand and Singapore are the least corrupt countries, according to the International Transparency Organization.
