Corruption trends in the Middle East and North Africa Region, 2007 – 2011
One such problem is the lack of whistleblower protections which is evaluated as 'very weak' by Global Integrity 2008. There are no protections for whistleblowers in the public sector, though some legal provisions exist that protect whistleblowers in the private sector. Still, enforcement is seen as weak, many potential whistleblowers allegedly feeling unsafe to report cases of corruption and bribery due to fear of persecution and imprisonment (The Business AntiCorruption Portal no date). This gap between policy and practice is evident when it comes to press freedoms. Freedom House’s report on Tunisia (2011) claims that the country has one of the worst media environments in the world in spite of constitutional guarantees and press laws that promise freedom of expression. Journalists have been systemically silenced through punishment and an array of legal and economic measures. The Reporters Without Borders Index (2010) ranks Tunisia in 164th position out of 178 countries.
Morocco The country has suffered some unrest in the wake of the Arab Spring, which has generated a window for governance and anti-corruption reforms. In response to the thousands of citizens marching in street protests in February and March 2011, the Moroccan government has offered limited reforms to address their demands for more democracy and an end to corruption (Black 2011).
Corruption: extent and trends (2007 – 2011) Corruption at all levels is seen to be endemic in modern day Moroccan life. Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index indicates a consistent and substantial level of perceived public sector corruption, with the country scoring 3,4 on a 0 (highly corrupt) to 10 (highly clean) scale. This finding is supported by public opinion survey data that shows 77 per cent of Moroccans feel that there has been no change in the level of corruption in the country over the last three years (TI 2010). The same survey shows that there is a general feeling that the government efforts are not effective in fighting corruption; only 18 % of the respondents perceived the government’s current efforts to combat corruption as effective. Similarly, the World Bank’s Governance Indicators register very little improvement on control of corruption in Morocco between 2007 and 2010, and the Global
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Integrity Report confirms this tendency as the overall rating (as well as the implementation gap) of the country shows little improvement during the above mentioned period. Other data underlines the existence of petty and grand corruption in virtually all sectors, including the country’s political life (Business Anti-Corruption Portal, no date). There is a general public perception that the country is characterised by a highly corrupt judiciary and corrupted public officials (TI 2010). The judicial system in particular is seen as being subjected to political pressure from the monarchy, the military, and political and economic elites, and as being deeply penetrated by individuals engaged in illicit practices (Denoeux, 2011). Moreover, it suffers from shortages of human and budgetary resources, delays in the processing of cases as well as weak enforcement of criminal sanctions (OECD, 2009). Some of the causes of corruption have been identified, such as ‘the persistence of a significant degree of impunity for well connected individuals and members of powerful institutions, the intertwined nature of political and economic interests in the country, and the existence of a large and dynamic informal economy’ (Denoeux, 2007, p. 136).
Forms of corruption Bribery Despite regulations and the anti-corruption efforts described below, bribery and facilitation payments are a common practice throughout the public administration. A survey conduct by Transparency Maroc in 2008 shows that 46% of Moroccan businessmen questioned regularly paid bribes and facilitation payments or used personal contacts to facilitate or speed up administrative or customs procedures (Freedom House – Freedom at Issue, 2009). In other sectors, such as education, construction, as well as in health, safety and environmental inspections, individuals and businesses are also expected to pay bribes in return for favourable treatment or expediting processing (Business Anti-Corruption Portal – Morocco). The problem also affects the police as 58% of the households who had contact with the police in 2008 reported paying bribes (TI, 2009). The institution is perceived as the third most corrupt institution in the country (TI 2010). Global Integrity (2008) claims that some police traffic officers who demand bribes are reportedly required to share them with their superiors. If
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