Progress in Fighting Corruption in Armenia Has Stalled

The international organization Transparency International has released its annual report on the perception of corruption this year. Most countries have registered little or no progress in combating corruption in the public sector. The global average score for the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) remains unchanged at 43, for the twelfth consecutive year. More than two-thirds of countries have CPI scores below 50, indicating serious corruption issues.

Armenia ranked 62nd among 180 countries with a score of 47, improving its position by one place compared to the previous year. Since 2018, Armenia has gained 12 points. According to the organization, “After the Velvet Revolution in 2018, Armenia implemented significant democratic and anti-corruption reforms in the following two years. However, progress in fighting corruption has stalled, primarily due to the limited implementation of new measures. Armenia, like many other countries in the region, faces serious security threats but has the potential to overcome these challenges and achieve effective control of corruption.”

The 2023 CPI classification covers 180 countries and territories, where a score of 0 means “highly corrupt,” and 100 signifies “very clean.” According to the report, eight countries have managed to improve their standings: Ireland (77), South Korea (63), Armenia (47), Vietnam (41), the Maldives (39), Moldova (42), Angola (33), and Uzbekistan (33).

The report indicates that the situation regarding corruption in Eastern Europe and Central Asia remains “crisis-ridden,” with an average score of 35, making Eastern Europe and Central Asia “the second-lowest scoring region in the world.” In the mentioned region, only one country, Georgia, has scored above 50, with a score of 53.

The report asserts that Eastern Europe and Central Asia have faced issues such as legal inertia, rising authoritarianism, pervasive corruption, and overall democratic backsliding, leading to a weakening of corruption control measures. At the same time, the report notes that “changes are possible, as evidenced by the recorded progress in five countries that have significantly improved their CPI scores since 2014.” Armenia is among these countries.

According to Transparency International, “Armenia (47), Moldova (42), Kosovo (41), Ukraine (36), and Uzbekistan (33) have significantly improved their CPI scores over the past ten years.” This year's report indicates that within the former Soviet space, Armenia ranks only behind the Baltic countries and Georgia in terms of corruption perception.

The report states that in Georgia, corruption has turned into a deeper, systemic problem, where the concentration of power in one entity has led to a situation where elites can influence decision-making processes of state institutions. “For several years now, the foundations of democracy in Georgia have been eroded, and the corruption present in the highest echelons of power has turned the government into a kleptocracy,” the publication states.

Transparency International has also addressed the recent “comeback” of Bidzina Ivanishvili, the founder of the ruling party in the political arena, who, according to the report, has played a key role in the “capture” of state institutions. The fight against corruption has become one of the main obstacles to Georgia's EU membership, the organization notes.

The report highlights another group of countries in Eastern Europe and Central Asia where a regression has been recorded in recent years: Bosnia and Herzegovina (35), Turkey (34), and Turkmenistan (18). According to the publication, Turkey, Serbia (36), Russia (26), and Tajikistan (20) have registered their worst CPI scores.

The report emphasizes, “The lowest scores in the region have been recorded in Azerbaijan (23), Tajikistan (20), and Turkmenistan (18), where serious corruption-related problems are evident. [In these countries] the authoritarian control of state institutions by the ruling elite is pervasive, and corruption serves to maintain power and evade accountability. The poor scores in these countries reflect governance failures and a lack of independent oversight. [In these countries] corruption is widespread at various levels of society and government, while civil and political rights are violated,” states today's publication by Transparency International.

Regarding Russia, the organization notes: “The decades-long efforts of Putin's regime to seize power and control the country's resources have entrenched corruption. The government controls state institutions everywhere, allowing officials to abuse their powers on a massive scale. The weakening independence of the judicial system in Russia has led to an increase in corruption, seriously undermining public trust in the justice system. The justice system is used by the regime to suppress opposition and, therefore, to consolidate [its own] power. As a result, the ruling elite is free to carry out its ambitions without constraints, and the ongoing war against Ukraine illustrates how dangerous the consequences can be when power goes unchecked.”

The report states that for the sixth consecutive year, Denmark (90) remains the country with the lowest levels of corruption, followed by Finland (87) and New Zealand (85). At the bottom of the perception of corruption index in 2023 are Somalia (11), Venezuela (13), Syria (13), South Sudan (13), and Yemen (16), all of which are under prolonged crises, primarily due to armed conflicts.

According to the report, in the United States (69), lax ethics rules for the Supreme Court have raised serious questions regarding judicial impartiality. However, Transparency International believes that the federal and state court systems in the U.S. continue to operate with the appropriate independence while remaining free of interference from the executive and legislative branches, and that legal proceedings against the former president and the current president's son are proceeding through “appropriate and independent judicial channels.”