Business Bayani PH

Strong, independent courts are vital to stop corruption in government. They enforce laws against graft. But a new report shows justice systems globally are growing weaker. They now struggle to limit dishonest officials. 

The report comes from Transparency International, a corruption watchdog group. It ranks countries on perceived corruption in government using a score called the Corruption Perceptions Index. According to the Index, courts worldwide can’t effectively fight corruption like before. This allows shady behavior in government to increase.

The CPI, which ranks 180 countries by perceived public sector corruption levels, shows negligible improvement globally for the 12th consecutive year. The stagnation indicates most governments are failing to curb graft despite repeated vows to attack it.

Analysis by Transparency International identifies a key reason why: justice institutions in many nations are growing weaker and less autonomous, eroding their capacity and willingness to prosecute corruption crimes by political leaders, senior officials and their business cronies.

Nations scoring poorly on the World Justice Project’s Rule of Law Index exhibit similarly low CPI grades, underlining the close association between defective legal structures and high corruption rates. 

Dictatorships and elected governments that limit courts help corruption spread. They let crooked officials avoid punishment for misdeeds. Sometimes they even encourage bad behavior by forgiving guilty officials. With no consequences, dishonesty in government grows worse.

“Corruption will keep flourishing until justice systems gain the independence and resources to punish it and restrain governments,” said Transparency International chair François Valérian. “When justice is bought or politically interfered with, it is the people that suffer.”

No Progress on Tackling Graft

This year’s composite global CPI score stood still at 43, signifying serious systemic corruption issues in over 130 countries scoring under 50. Just over a third of nations earned passing marks above 50, where 100 represents “very clean.” 

Denmark ranked first worldwide for the sixth straight year with 90 points, aided by robust rule of law protections. Somalia came last at 11, reflecting conflict-driven state collapse.

The report lists several developed democracies like the UK, Austria and the U.S. alongside authoritarian regimes like Russia, Tajikistan and Venezuela as recording historic CPI lows in 2022. Since 2018, 12 countries have registered notable score declines indicative of worsening graft problems.

Only eight countries showed meaningful progress against corruption. These include Ireland, South Korea and Maldives. Their gains indicate some real success in reducing government dishonesty.

Justice Denied, Corruption Unchecked

Courts lacking proper resources and independence can be manipulated. This lets corruption reach the top government levels without punishment. It happens when court systems lack enough funding, transparency, and rules preventing political interference. Such weaknesses make courts vulnerable to pressure and control. Powerful crooked officials then go unchecked.

In Guatemala, justice systems have come under control of corrupt leaders. The last three governments misused courts to shield dishonest officials, while punishing anti-corruption activists. This sabotaged the state’s ability to fight graft. As a result, Guatemala now scores very poorly on the CPI.

Africa presents many examples of justice system compromise—from bribery and extortion of judges in Nigeria, to Burundi imprisoning magistrates and Congo failing to investigate court cases effectively. Even a rare African success story, Rwanda, faces ongoing judicial independence concerns despite making anti-corruption progress.

In Asia, rich Singapore scores high on the Corruption Index. It has courts and prosecutors that actively go after graft, without political control. But nearby Malaysia and Indonesia are worse. They wrestle with shielding their anti-corruption commissions from political interference as democracy declines.

The Philippines ranks low worldwide on the latest CPI. It scores just 33 out of 100, placing it 117th out of 180 countries assessed. This shows the country still has a major corruption problem. 

The Philippines’ score has slowly improved over the past decade. But it still lags far behind neighboring countries like Singapore and Hong Kong that score much better on public sector integrity. 

In 2023, the Philippines’ grade did not change. This suggests the government is struggling to make real anti-corruption progress despite promises to fight graft. With the justice system also seen as weak, it seems more accountability and legal reforms are needed in the Philippines.

Failed states like Syria, Afghanistan, and Yemen score very poorly on the Corruption Index. They lack functioning governments able to control corruption. Other countries also score badly despite being more stable. In Venezuela, hollow government institutions let corruption run wild, badly hurting society. Its courts now mainly serve to jail political opponents.  

Even some developed countries usually viewed as clean are declining on the Index. This shows fading honesty in government. Last year, probes in Australia found lots of political corruption. Czechia’s (Czech Republic’s) prime minister quit over fraud claims after the media revealed his conflicts of interest. Canada disbanded an ethics committee frustrated over its inaction, including on cases involving the prime minister.

Time for Concerted Action

Bribery and corruption are huge problems around the world, hurting everyone’s lives. Experts say we need much more than just small anti-corruption laws—we need a complete overhaul of justice systems everywhere.

Imagine judges and law enforcement that are truly independent and well-funded, and can’t be easily bought off. That would make a big difference in holding powerful people accountable. But sadly, many leaders don’t really want this to happen, because it might make it harder for them to get away with their crimes.

“It’s time to break down barriers to justice for corruption victims by guaranteeing inclusive, responsive legal processes at all stages,” said the organization’s CEO Daniel Eriksson. “Anything less perpetuates injustice.”◼