Finland Times

 

File picture of a place in Helsinki city. Photo - Lehtikuva.

Finland ranked second among the least corrupt countries in the world as per the 2013 Corruption Perception Index of Transparency International.

 

Another Nordic country Denmark, together with New Zealand, secured the top position in the list of the least corrupt countries with scores of 91, while Finland and neighbouring Sweden jointly ranked second with scores of 89.

 

Another Nordic country Norway ranked third along with Singapore scoring 86 each, followed by Switzerland, Netherlands, Australia and Canada, the TI report said.

 

Somalia, North Korea, Afghanistan, Sudan and South Sudan bottomed the list.

 

More than two thirds of the 177 countries in the 2013 index scored below 50, on a scale from zero (perceived to be highly corrupt) to 100 (perceived to be very clean), which offered a warning that the abuse of power, secret dealings and bribery continue to ravage societies around the world.

 

“The Corruption Perceptions Index 2013 demonstrates that all countries still face the threat of corruption at all levels of government, from the issuing of local permits to the enforcement of laws and regulations,” said Huguette Labelle, chair of the Berlin-based global corruption watchdog.

 

The TI chairperson also said even the better performers also face issues such as state capture, campaign finance and the oversight of big public contracts, according to a TI press release.