Lisbon, Feb. 11, 2025 (Lusa) - Portugal fell nine places in the 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index and obtained its worst result ever, "particularly driven by the perception of abuse of public office for private gain", in cases such as 'Operation Influencer'.
The Transparency International index, published since 2012 and in which Portugal has been in "continuous decline since 2015", places Portugal in 43rd position among the 180 countries evaluated, nine places below the 34th position of 2023, with 57 points on a scale of 0 (highly corrupt states) to 100 (high integrity of states in the fight against corruption).
In the index, Portugal shares 43rd place with Botswana and Rwanda, but is better placed than European partners such as Spain and Italy.
"Portugal's decline was driven by a deterioration in the assessments from various sources used to calculate this Index. The decline was particularly driven by the perceived abuse of public office for private gain and weaknesses in public integrity mechanisms to prevent such abuse," reads the statement from Transparency International's Portuguese branch on the national results in the global index.
"Portugal's performance was one of the worst in Western Europe, with a drop of four points in the score and the loss of nine positions in the global ranking," the organisation points out.
According to Transparency International Portugal (TI Portugal), among the factors that contributed to the country's downgraded position was a negative assessment of the country's effectiveness in fighting corruption, the functioning of public institutions and law enforcement.
Other factors include weak enforcement of the anti-corruption law and oversight of the public sector, "including gaps in the prevention of conflicts of interest and in the declaration of assets by politicians", as well as situations of nepotism, political favouritism and a lack of transparency in party funding.
TI Portugal also points to the classification "below the European average" in terms of the perception of corruption in the public sector and refers to "recent scandals, such as ‘Operation Influencer’" as justification for "the increase in the perception of corruption in the links between politics and business".
The organisation also refers to "persistent fragilities in the fight against corruption" and warns that, despite new legal mechanisms, "international perception indicates that implementation and enforcement remain below what is necessary".
"There are recognised shortcomings in the implementation of the government's anti-corruption strategy, as well as a lack of resources to monitor the executive. Portugal now has the challenge of demonstrating concrete progress in implementing reforms to prevent its position from deteriorating further in the coming years and to regain international confidence in the integrity of its public sector," reads the TI Portugal statement.
Quoted in the statement, the president of TI's Portuguese representation, Margarida Mano, emphasised that the results "serve as a warning of the reputational damage that Portugal is suffering as a result of not taking effective action in the fight against corruption".
"The worst result ever is primarily due to a cumulative component. Portugal has identified structural problems that have not been corrected, with impact and wear and tear over time, revealing a lack of political commitment and low effectiveness in the measures taken," Margarida Mano argues in the statement.
She also identifies circumstantial factors, such as Operation Influencer, "with an impact on the perception of integrity in the public sector, which contribute to this result".
"The way to improve Portugal's reputation in the fight against corruption is only one: make an effective commitment and act."
TI Portugal argues that "there is a lack of clarity and political commitment" in the anti-corruption strategy, which "lacks concrete goals, conviction and political commitment", and there is a lack of speed in the justice system, calling for procedural acceleration, the simplification of mega-processes and the fight against delaying procedures and the statute of limitations for procedural delays.
It also says there is a lack of oversight, calling for tools for greater transparency and scrutiny in the public sector, as well as a lack of regulation of lobbying, a measure that is planned under the current executive's anti-corruption agenda.
TI Portugal argues that organisations such as the Transparency Authority and the National Anti-Corruption Mechanism (MENAC) should have financial reinforcement and budgetary autonomy to guarantee "effective and independent" action.
"Finally, the control of politicians' assets and income must be stricter. To avoid conflicts of interest and guarantee a public administration with integrity, it is essential to strengthen the impeachment regime, increase transparency in the selection criteria for public office and combat the phenomenon of ‘revolving doors’ between the political and private sectors," reads the statement.
The Corruption Perception Index (CPI) was created in 1995 and revised in 2012 to allow comparisons of annual evolution, and is made up of sources of corruption analysis developed by other independent organisations with the aim of assessing levels of corruption in the public sector.
"Transparency International Portugal (Transparência e Integridade, Associação Cívica) is the Portuguese representative of Transparency International, a global anti-corruption coalition present in more than 100 countries, and is dedicated to research, advocacy and raising awareness about the causes and consequences of corruption and bad governance," according to TI Portugal's presentation.
IMA/AYLS // AYLS
Lusa
