Venezuela, the most corrupt American country; Panama refuses

Venezuela represents a “example of great corruption”This Tuesday, Transparency International (TI) reported, in its annual report for 2023, this country, for the tenth year in a row, appears as the most corrupt in America. Panama, for its part, took a turn for the worse after receiving a score of 35/100 and falling in the world rankings (108).

According to the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) in the public sector, on a scale of zero (highly corrupt) to 100 (very low corruption), Venezuela received 13 points – five less than in 2018 – placing it in the lowest ranked position on the list. American countries.

Venezuela and Haiti were considered the most corrupt nations in the Americas in 2014 and 2015, and as of 2016, the oil-rich nation surpassed the island nation.

TI noted that in Venezuela, “billions of dollars of public money have been systematically embezzled, benefiting a few powerful individuals and exacerbating poverty and inequality.”

The organization also indicated that there are “big schemes” in the country corruption “They go hand in hand with the capture of the legislative, regulatory and judicial systems by high officials to create power and avoid punishment.”

In this South American country, he writes further, “paying bribes and co-opting judges and prosecutors at all levels of the judicial system has become one of the main mechanisms used by criminal networks to ensure the continuity of their activities. “illegal actions, as well as their impunity”.

“Some Venezuelan judges and prosecutors, in addition to being part of these networks, are also being investigated by the International Criminal Court for their intervention, actions or omissions in abuses, torture and other crimes against humanity,” TI said.

Last year, Venezuela and Syria – also with 13 points – took, after Somalia (11), the “lowest positions in the index”, which ranks 180 nations and territories.

According to the ‘Corruptionometer’ of the non-governmental organization Transparencia Venezuela, prepared on the basis of causes and investigations of official organizations within and outside the country, corruption compromised at least 64.601 million dollars.

In March of last year, the authorities launched an anti-corruption operation that was abruptly terminated two months later without explanation from the Prosecutor’s Office and the Government, who remained silent on key aspects of the process, experts told EFE.

Former Oil Minister Tareck El Aissami, who resigned from his position to cooperate with the investigations, was the biggest fish to fall in this operation, but since then his whereabouts and his role in the events are unknown.