What does the 2022 Corruption Perceptions Index show?
Denmark, Finland and New Zealand occupy top slots in the annual Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) published by NGO Transparency International. Somalia, Syria and South Sudan were ranked as the most apparently corrupt countries, while Turkey and Hungary dropped several notches. The index is compiled with the help of expert assessments.
A peculiar ranking
Corriere della Sera is surprised to see Denmark ranked first and Switzerland seventh in the Index:
“This raises the question of what exactly is 'perceived' corruption. Because less than two months ago Denmark's leading bank, Danske Bank, was fined almost half a billion euros for laundering 200 billion euros in black money (mainly Russian). Curiously, the Copenhagen authorities' sanction came four years after the scandal broke, just as Danske agreed to pay two billion to the US government to complete an investigation into the same allegations. ... In Switzerland, the banking association announced that it was holding over 200 billion dollars in Russian funds, of which only 4 percent are blocked. So what about the other 96 percent?”
Slovenians prefer to bury their heads in the sand
Slovenia has again lost points in the CPI. Portal Plus sees no real will to change the situation:
“Unfortunately, corruption in Slovenia is like the fight against climate change. It is there, we feel it. ... But we successfully pretend not to know who is to blame. And even if we agree that there must be consequences no matter who is to blame, we do nothing to fight the damage. We'd rather bury our heads in the sand. Serious action is in no one's interest, although in the case of corruption we lose almost four billion euros a year. Clearly, many people have their hands in the honeypot and consequently there is a lack of willingness to change.”