Corruption Perceptions Index: Malaysia slips to 57th

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia has slipped to 57th out of 180 countries in the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) for 2020 compared to 51st in 2019.

According to the President of Transparency International Malaysia (TI-M), Dr Muhammad Mohan, Malaysia recorded a score of 51 out of 100, compared to 53 the previous year.

"Among the things that influenced this score were the failure to present the Political Financing Bill as well as some corruption charges such as involving Riza Aziz, Datuk Seri Musa Aman and Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor that were dropped.

"At the same time, it includes the limited access to information that involves the interests of the people.

“It also includes the value of compensation related to the High-Speed Rail (HSR) Project and compensation to Goldman Sachs on the 1MDB case which is still unknown," he said.

Commenting on this year's score at the international level, Dr Muhammad Mohan said, COVID-19 also brought various issues related to corruption.

The COVID-19 pandemic is not just a health crisis but also a crisis to the problem of corruption.

"The stimulus package did not reach the target group, thus opening the door to corruption," he said.

The results of the survey conducted every year were announced virtually by him today.

Singapore is the only country in Asia to be ranked in the top 10 in the world.