Causing more embarrassment to the VVIP chopper scam-hit UPA Government, Transparency International’s report on a world-wide study on corruption in the Defence sector, has placed India in the ‘High Corruption Risk’ category along with other 29 nations.
The recently released report was prepared after nine years of research on 82 countries. The report prepared by the UK chapter of Transparency International classifies 82 nations into six categories.
A category termed as ‘Very low Corruption Risk’ comprises only two countries Australia and Germany.The B category termed as ‘low Corruption Risk’ comprises seven counties including USA, UK, and Sweden.
The C category known as ‘Moderate Corruption Risk’ comprises 16 countries including France, Italy and Japan.The D category termed as ‘High Corruption Risk,’ which covers India comprises 30 countries including China, Israel, Bosnia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Turkey, Singapore, Malaysia, Ethiopia and Rwanda, to name a few.
The E category termed as ‘Very High Corruption Risk’ comprises 18 countries including Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Sri lanka, Qatar, Venezuela and Nigeria.
The most corrupt F category known as ‘Critical Corruption Risk’ comprises nine counties including libya, Syria, Egypt, Cameroon and Algeria.
In its assessment of the D category countries, the report says that these nations lack a proper system for whistle-blower protection and expenditure on secret items and programs. The countries in this category do not have adequate legislature scrutiny on Defence expenditure.
“Many countries do not audit secret budgets. lack of meaningful scrutiny in China is a notable problem. Highly centralised structures ensure a wealth of regulation in the Defence sector, but the concentration of power itself creates corruption risk,” says Transparency International’s report.
The report says India is the only country in the D category which has some controls to prevent sub-contractors in Defence procurement. “Among the nations in this category, only India appears to control this risk,” says the report.
“We have found that many senior Defence officials, senior officers and ministers are aware of the corruption risks in Defence. They know that public trust is important, and that secrecy and corruption scandals damage that trust. They know that corruption corrodes operational effectiveness, and means that their soldiers are at risk when deployed with inappropriate or faulty equipment. They are aware that the temptation of large bribes can lead to unnecessary purchases. They are conscious of what a huge waste of money such corruption can be.
“There are many countries where Defence Ministries remain secretive and closed, and where it can be dangerous even to ask questions about corruption,” says Mark Pyman, Director in foreword of 48-page report of Transparency International.
