Press Release : EMBARGO !!! Tuesday, 26 October 1999, 16:00CET New poll shows many leading exporters using bribes Transparency International releases new indexes – brand new Bribe Payers Index, largest ever Corruption Perceptions Index Berlin, Germany, October 26, 1999 Transparency International (TI) today released a brand new Bribe Payers Perceptions Index (BPI). This ranks 19 leading exporting countries in terms of the degree to which their corporations are perceived to be paying bribes abroad. The BPI, undertaken for TI by Gallup International (GIA) in 14 leading emerging market economies, shows that companies from many leading exporting nations are widely seen as using bribes to win business. “The data provides a disturbing picture of the degree to which leading exporting countries are perceived to be using corrupt practices. The governments of these countries must take determined actions to stop businesses headquartered in their countries from bribing foreign officials. We also call on corporations to adopt effective anti-corruption programmes,“ said Peter Eigen, Chairman of Transparency International, the global anti-corruption organisation. TI also published today the fifth annual Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), which this year ranks a record 99 countries, compared to 85 in 1998. The CPI is a poll of polls based this year on a larger number of surveys (17) from a larger number of independent organisations (10) than ever before. Media Contacts for the 1999 BPI & CPI: … in Germany: Carel Mohn & Arwa Hassan: tel.+49-30-3438200, fax+49-30-34703912,
[email protected] … in the U.K.: Jeremy Pope: tel. +44-171-610 1400, fax +44-171-610 1550,
[email protected] Fredrik Galtung at the Faculty of Social & Political Sciences, Cambridge University, tel: +44-7979-64 88 77, fax: +44-1223-33 45 50,
[email protected] … in the U.S.: Frank Vogl: tel.