Research: Authorities Doing Nothing to Combat Corruption in BiH, Alongside Ukraine and Moldova

Transparency International in BiH presented the results of the Global Corruption Barometer for 2016, a survey conducted by Transparency International, which examines citizens' perceptions of the state of corruption worldwide.

Out of a total of 42 countries/territories in Europe and Central Asia covered by the regional report, BiH is among the countries with the most serious problems with corruption. BiH, along with Armenia, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Moldova, Russia, and Ukraine, received negative ratings in all categories. In these countries, a large number of citizens perceive members of parliament as corrupt, high rates of bribery are present, and there is an unfavorable social environment for personal engagement in the fight against corruption.

As many as 82% of BiH citizens negatively assess the authorities' work in combating corruption, placing BiH among the four worst-rated countries in this category, along with Ukraine, Moldova, and Spain.

According to this research, 27% of BiH citizens have found themselves in a situation in the last year of giving a bribe to a public official, most often to traffic police and medical personnel.

Citizens of BiH see government officials (56%) as the most corrupt public officials, immediately followed by members of parliament (54%) and presidents/prime ministers (53%). Religious leaders are considered the least corrupt. BiH is at the top of European and Central Asian countries in terms of the perceived involvement of its political representatives in corruption.

- Authorities are not doing enough to curb corruption because individuals at the top benefit from it. Simply by being at the top of the power pyramid, corrupt elites and oligarchs are difficult to overthrow. But we are witnessing that it can be done when people come together and demand more accountability from their leaders, and when there is an independent judiciary that will force them to answer - stated Jose Ugaz, Chair of the International Board of Directors of Transparency International, on the occasion of the promotion of this research.

However, high rates of bribery, social stigma against reporting, as well as a lack of political and civil rights contribute to citizens' apathy and unwillingness to personally engage in anti-corruption activities. Thus, a large majority believe that citizens cannot contribute to the fight against corruption, and more than half of BiH citizens (55%) believe that it is not socially acceptable to report corruption. Citizens cite fear of consequences (33%) and the belief that their report will not lead to change (20%) as the main reasons for not reporting corruption.

Therefore, Transparency International highlights strengthening judicial independence and removing the influence of the executive branch on the judiciary, as well as adopting a comprehensive and applicable legal framework for the protection of whistleblowers, as key recommendations.