The Maldives has dropped 10 places in the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) by Transparency International.
CPI ranks countries around the world based on how corrupt their public sectors are perceived to be. The results are given on a scale of 0 to 100, where 0 is highly corrupt, and 100 is very clean.
In the 2020 index, the Maldives was ranked at the 75th position with 43 points. However, in last year's index in which 180 countries and territories were ranked, the Maldives fell by three points and ten positions, with the archipelago now in the 85th position of the index with 40 points.
A statement by Transparency Maldives said the CPI shows that the Maldives is still falling behind in effectively implementing and enforcing laws to tackle corruption. The statement further said the Maldives had seen weak investigation, prosecution, enforcement, and implementation of laws, resulting in an increased lack of accountability of political and public officials.
Transparency Maldives also said the theme of the CPI 2021 explains that corruption enables human rights violations and undermines the ability of the State to respect, protect, and fulfill human rights while allowing human rights abusers to evade accountability.
The statement also expressed concern regarding the vacuum created in the Anti-Corruption Commission following the resignation of all members and called on the Parliament to elect new members without delay and ensure the findings and recommendations highlighted in the ACC performance audit are meaningfully addressed.
