Agadir – The Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) 2020 published on January 28 ranked Morocco 86th out of 180 countries worldwide.
The index published by Transparency International ranks 180 countries by their “perceived levels of public sector corruption according to experts and businesspeople.” The index assigns a score between 0 and 100, where 0 is “highly corrupt” and 100 is “very clean.”
In 2020 Morocco scored 40 points, a three-point decrease compared to 2019. This placed it in 86th position, tied with India, Burkina Faso, Trinidad and Tobago, and Timor-Leste. Meanwhile, neighboring Algeria scored 36 points, which earned it the 104th place in the global ranking.
The index focused on contextualizing national pandemic response in relation to corruption, pointing to the lower-scoring countries where “years of corruption left [them] woefully unprepared to face the COVID-19 pandemic.”
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The report said that while the Moroccan government took exceptional measures in response to the pandemic, they showed insufficient oversight. The index spoke of special exemptions for which the government has not faced accountability pressures, which could lead to “significant risks for mismanaged funds and corruption.”
The report also found “numerous violations of free speech and press, including the arrest and imprisonment of journalists who criticise public authorities.” It spoke of Omar Radi who is facing prosecution on grounds of alleged “violent rape” and “receiving funds from a foreign agent.”
CPI concluded that corruption in Morocco contributed to the poor state of healthcare in the country and an ineffective response to the pandemic.
While the report might have not openly favored Morocco, recent developments in the country give a more positive outlook. The government is set to adopt a new anti-corruption bill in early February, while local and international experts call for a strong and coordinated approach to fight corruption globally.
