Corruption in Slovakia

Extent

Transparency International’s Global Corruption Barometer 2013 indicates that corruption remains a serious problem in Slovakia . High-profile corruption cases have plagued the country, including the „Gorilla“ case that surfaced at the end of 2011. In this case, secret wiretap recordings between 2005 and 2006 were leaked to the internet, bringing to light millions of Euros in bribes paid by a private equity firm to Slovakian government officials in exchange for privatization and procurement deals. ^[1]

According to Global Corruption Barometer 2013 , political parties rank the third most corrupt institution in Slovakia, after the judiciary and public servants, and 56% of surveyed households believe the level of corruption in the country has „increased a lot“ in the past two years. In order to fight corruption in the country, Slovakia has launched several corruption reforms in recent years, including the creation of a central contract. ^[2]

Transparency International’s 2016 Corruption Perception Index ranks the country 54th place out of 176 countries. ^[3]

Areas

Business

Corruption is ranked as the second most problematic factor for doing business in Slovakia, according to the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Report 2013-2014, after inefficient government bureaucracy. Surveyed business executives report that public funds are often diverted to companies, or corruption, and the lack of ethical behavior by companies in their interactions with public officials, politicians and other companies represents a serious business disadvantage for the country. ^[4]

Companies consider the occurrence of irregular payments and bribes to be fairly common in connection with imports and exports, public utilities, and the awarding of public contracts. ^[5]

See also

• Crime in Slovakia

References