Private sector corruption on the rise
by The Canadian Press
Study shows a 26 per cent rise in private sector corruption in China and a 52 per cent increase in Indonesia.
MANILA, Philippines—An anti-corruption specialist says private sector corruption appears to be rising in the Pacific Rim amid the global economic downturn, with countries in the region holding the worst reputation for bribery abroad.
Samuel De Jaegere of the UN Development Program told an anti-corruption forum of the 21-member Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation group that companies in Indonesia, Mexico, China and Russia are the most likely to pay bribes when doing business overseas.
He cited the 2011 Bribe Payer’s Index published by Transparency International, a global anti-corruption non-governmental organization chaired by Canadian Huguette Labelle.
De Jaegere also cited a recent survey by Enrst and Young showing a 26 per cent rise in private sector corruption in China and a 52 per cent increase in Indonesia.
He says cases handled by anti-corruption prosecutors in Hong Kong and Singapore in the last two years also involved mostly private company employees.
