The 2023 Transparency International (TI) Corruption Perception Index Report (CPI) ranked Guyana the most corrupt English-speaking country in the Caribbean. On the CPI Guyana scored 40 and ranked 87/180 countries, sharing the shares the spotlight with Suriname, Tanzania, Tunisia, Colombia and Côte d’Ivoire. This is the second consecutive year Guyana scored 40.
Under the leadership of President Irfaan Ali there has widespread concern about accountability and management of Guyana’s resources, particularly the cash grants and oil and gas spending. The government has little or no system in place to ensure accountability and would usually go on the offensive when asked to put structures in place to improve accountability and governance.
In the world’s fastest growing economy half the population lives on less than G$1200 (US$5.50) a day. As rich as Guyana is there is no living wage, cash grants are distributed in a discriminatory manner, kickbacks are known, the most famous of which is allegation against Vice President (VP) Bharrat Jagdeo and Chinese businessmen for government contracts.
In a 2022 United States-based Vice News’ explosive Zhirong was recorded stating the money paid to him under the guise of legitimate business will make it to the vice president. Jagdeo was recorded talking to reporters, who pretended to be chinese business people, in the company of Zhirong. On enquiring about doing business he told them “No, no, no I’m not getting involved in business. Su is my friend. He gets all the support. Su deals with all the agreements. I don’t. The thing is that my thing is that I’m in government, so I assist from government side.” The VP has since denied the allegation and sued Su. The matter is still to be called up in court.
François Valérian, Chair of Transparency International warned “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.”
Calling for an end to impunity in corruption TI flagged 2023 as the year where corruption is thriving across the world.
TI warned the global trend of weakening justice systems is reducing accountability for public officials, which allows corruption to thrive. It is found both authoritarian and democratic leaders are undermining justice. This the body expressed is increasing impunity for corruption, and even encouraging it by eliminating consequences for criminals.
“Corrupt acts like bribery and abuse of power are also infiltrating many courts and other justice institutions across the globe. Where corruption is the norm, vulnerable people have restricted access to justice while the rich and powerful capture whole justice systems, at the expense of the common good.”
TI found countries ranking high on the CPI have an impunity problem of their own, even if this isn’t reflected in their scores. According to TI many cross-border corruption cases have involved companies from top-scoring countries that resort to bribery when doing business abroad.
