Portugal: Fight against corruption making no progress in country – report

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Portugal: Fight against corruption making no progress in country – report

8:08 CAT | 31 Jan 2024

Image: CPI

The fight against corruption continues to make no headway in Portugal, one of the countries in Europe with the greatest failings in terms of political integrity, warned the national office of the organisation Transparency International (TI).

The analysis was made in a statement on the occasion of Tuesday’s release of the Corruption Perceptions Index for 2023, which is published annually and this year places Portugal in 34th place out of 180 countries, with 61 points. Denmark and Finland top the list.

Portugal, which is evaluated among the countries of Western Europe and the European Union, once again equalled the score recorded in 2020, the worst since 2012, and remains below the average for the region (65 points).

The report, notes the Portuguese section of TI (a coalition of non-governmental anti-corruption organisations based in Berlin), “places Portugal as one of the countries in Europe with the most failings” in terms of integrity in politics.

Recalling the case that led to the prime minister’s resignation (“Operation Influencer”) as an example of “how political integrity scandals persist”, TI Portugal says that rules on conflicts of interest, ethical standards and transparency in the exercise of public functions and lobbying activities need to be strengthened.

TI urges Portugal to prioritise stricter regulation at this level on the political agenda, after several years of delays.

Quoted in the document, the president of TI Portugal, Margarida Mano, says that the results of the Index “show that it is not enough for a country to have a national anti-corruption strategy, but that such a strategy must be effective in the fight against corruption”.

“When citizens in general and international organisations do not perceive or find evidence of the impact of existing laws and mechanisms, they cannot trust governments and institutions. There is a significant public interest in ensuring transparency and integrity, as well as the accountability of public office holders and politicians in relation to enacted policies and legislation. It’s important to take effective action,” says Margarida Mano.

TI’s analysis of the results of the Corruption Perceptions Index 2023 analyses how injustice and corruption affect each other around the world.

The communiqué goes on to say that “both authoritarian regimes and democratic leaders who undermine justice contribute to increasing impunity for corruption and, in some cases, even encourage it by eliminating consequences for offenders”.

“Corruption will continue to thrive as long as justice systems cannot punish wrongdoing and keep governments in check. When justice is bought or suffers political interference it is the people who suffer. Leaders must fully invest in and guarantee the independence of the institutions that uphold the law and fight corruption. It’s time to end the impunity of corruption,” said François Valérian, TI’s president, in the statement.

Source: Lusa