Kuwait seeing rise in corruption levels - report

CORRUPTION WATCH: According to the survey results, four in ten respondents claimed bribe payments in the last 12 months. (Getty Images)

Corruption and bribery is perceived to be increasing in Kuwait, according to a recent report.

The results of a new study, the 2009 Global Corruption Barometer was conducted by Transparency International (TI), an international anti-corruption watchdog, the Kuwait Times reported on Thursday.

According to the report around one-fifth of the respondents in Kuwait claimed to have paid a bribe themselves or knew someone in their household who did in the past year.

Speaking to the Kuwait-based daily, Tamara Kamhawi, TI program coordinator for Middle East and Africa said: “Kuwait's average (perceived corruption) was higher this year than the previous year and was higher when compared globally.

“When surveyed, results showed that Kuwait was most unhappy with its civil servants and public officials." She also noted that the survey results on Kuwait indicated the majority of the 801 polled were satisfied with the judicial system.”

According to the watchdog’s website, the 2009 Global Corruption Barometer reveals a growing distrust of business, the daily struggle of the world’s poor with petty bribery and public unconvinced of governments’ anti-corruption efforts.

According to the survey results, four in ten respondents claimed bribe payments in the last 12 months. The Middle East and North Africa recorded the worst results by region, Kuwait Times noted.

According to the report, Kuwaiti people believe that public officials and civil servants were the most affected by corruption. The judiciary system was perceived as the least corrupt in the country.

The least corrupt country was Qatar in the Gulf region, followed by the UAE and then Oman, Kamhawi to the Kuwait-based daily.

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