SAO PAULO (Reuters) – Guatemala, Nicaragua and Cuba hit all-time lows in the 2022 Corruption Perceptions Index released on Monday by Berlin-based anti-corruption group Transparency International (TI), which dropped the ranking. The background is said to be an increase in organized crime by public institutions, the selection of personnel by political and economic elites, and human rights violations.
“Weak governments have not been able to stop crime networks, social conflict and violence, and in some cases the concentration of power under the guise of security measures has increased the threat,” said Delilah Ferreira Rubio, president of TI.
TI publishes the index annually. Targeting countries and regions around the world, the level of perception of corruption by business executives is measured and rated from 0 (“extremely polluted”) to 100 (“extremely clean”).
The average for the Americas is 43. In Latin America, Venezuela and Nicaragua, where criminal gangs have infiltrated public institutions, had the lowest levels of cleanliness.
