Monday, 6 March 2023
North Cyprus ranks 140 out of 180 countries in terms of its perceived corruption, Yeniduzen reports.
This score is on par with Kyrgyzstan and Pakistan.
According to the “North Cyprus Corruption Perception Report”, prepared in line with the criteria of Transparency International (TI), 99 percent of business owners believed that there is bribery and corruption in the TRNC, 72 percent of whom described it as a very serious problem. Forty percent of the business people surveyed say that they have used bribes to benefit business operations in the past year.
The most corrupt transactions are in public tenders and licensing transactions, incentives and leasing of public land is also high on the list.
Government Officials Rated Most Corrupt
Considered to be most corrupt are the Prime Minister and government ministers. Of the group interviewed, which included business people, industrialists, tradesmen and contractors, 84 percent pointed a finger at the Prime Minister and his ministers as being the most corrupt.
Public Resources Abused by Politicians
There is a strong perception among those interviewed that public resources are being abused by politicians and high-ranking officials.
The relationship between the business world and politics is extremely worrying including the fact that corrupt officials are not held accountable, the survey shows.
The research results indicate that the relationship between the business world and politics is extremely worrying, and that officials involved in corruption were not held accountable.
Situation has Deteriorated
The two academics who prepared the report, Sertaç Sonan and Ömer Gökçekuş, said that corruption in North Cyprus is a significant issue which needs to be addressed, as in many countries that have completed their development in terms of both democratisation and economy.
Sertaç Sonan described the results of the opinion poll as “shameful”.
North Cyprus has also fallen behind Turkey in terms of corruption score, he said.
