On Tuesday, this organization published its annual Corruption Perceptions Index and report ranking 80 countries and territories around the globe by the perceived level of public sector corruption, scoring on a scale of zero (highly corrupt) to 100 points (very clean).
The report states that Albania is improving in terms of the investigation and prosecution of high-level corruption, making reference to the work of SPAK.

“Yet further progress in this direction hinges on further enforcement of criminal justice legislation and ensuring effective oversight of the executive branch,” the report says.

Transparency International says that the decision to establish a new ministry in charge of the fight against corruption is coupled with the expectation for effective integrity mechanisms.

“However, this cannot be achieved unless parliament has stronger autonomy and civil society organizations and the media cannot perform their oversight role without impediment from the authorities,” the Transparency International report further states.
This year, according to the organization, most countries have made little or no progress in the fight against corruption in the public sector. In 2022, Albania ranked 101st. Since 2012, Albania has improved by 4 points. Transparency International says the world is seeing a decline in the functioning of justice systems, and countries with weak justice systems tend to have high levels of corruption.

“Corruption will continue to thrive until justice systems can punish wrongdoing and keep governments in check. When justice is bought or politically interfered with, it is the people that suffer. Leaders should fully invest in and guarantee the independence of institutions that uphold the law and tackle corruption. It is time to end impunity for corruption,” head of Transparency International, François Valérian, says in the report

For the sixth year in a row Denmark heads the ranking with a score of 90 points. Finland and New Zealand follow closely with 87 and 85 points respectively. Somalia with a score of 11 points, Venezuela with 13 points, Syria with 13 points, South Sudan with 13 points and Yemen with 16 points are the lowest performers.

Over two-thirds of countries score below 50 out of 100, which strongly indicates that they have serious corruption problems. The global average is stuck at only 43, while the vast majority of countries have made no progress or declined in the last decade. What is more, 23 countries fell to their lowest scores to date this year.

Among the countries of the Western Balkans, Albania ranks lower than Kosovo, North Macedonia and Montenegro, while it scores, respectively, one point more than Serbia and two more than Bosnia.
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