Georgia in TI’s 2018 Corruption Perception Index

Georgia’s score in Transparency International’s annual Corruption Perception Index (CPI) has slightly improved.

In the 2018 CPI, released by the anti-corruption watchdog on January 29, Georgia is ranked 41st among 180 countries with a score of 58 (on a scale where 0 is the worst and 100 is the best result), the highest figure in the Eastern Europe and Central Asia region.

Despite progress, Transparency International lists Georgia among the region’s Countries to Watch category.

“With a score of 58, Georgia increased by two points since last year, however the country now faces democratic backsliding, making it both vulnerable to high-level corruption and a country to watch moving forward,” reads the CPI’s regional analysis document.

The watchdog says the downturn, among others, is attributed to the following factors: lack of accountability of law enforcement, corruption and political interference in the judiciary, state capture and government-sponsored attacks on independent civil society.

TI also stressed that despite “an urgent need” to investigate cases of corruption and misconduct in the government, “Georgia has failed to establish independent agencies to take on this mandate.”

“Progress in anti-corruption will continue to stall and reverse if the Georgian government does not take immediate steps to ensure the independence of institutions, including the judiciary, and support civil society, which enhances political engagement and public oversight,” it also said.

Transparency International Georgia, the Tbilisi-based member of Transparency International’s network, issued a press release of the report, saying Georgia’s improvement is statistically insignificant.

“The survey does not reflect the alleged cases of high-level corruption publicized in late 2018 which could have a negative impact on Georgia’s position in the ranking in the future,” TI Georgia also noted.

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