Maldives falls in Corruption Perception Index

Published Tuesday, the CPI ranks countries by their perceived level of public sector corruption using a scale of zero to 100, where zero is highly corrupt and 100 is very clean. With a low score of 31, the Maldives is among two-third of countries to score below 50.

The local chapter of Transparency International called the Maldives’ 2018 score “a stark reminder of the eroding democratic institutions and the unchecked level of grand corruption.”

The gradual deterioration of fundamental freedoms and rights during former president Abdulla Yameen’s five-year term paved “a smooth path for unchecked corruption and abuse of power,” it added, whilst restrictions of freedom of expression and media freedom, “coupled with weak and politically compromised institutions including the Parliament and the Judiciary, has allowed for corruption to flourish.”