Ministry of Justice (MOJ) and Agency Against Corruption (AAC, 廉政署) officials attributed Taiwan’s improvement in an international ranking on government corruption to strong enforcement and the coordinated efforts of judicial agencies to crack down on graft.
Taiwan’s score of 62 points in the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), means that the nation was ranked seventh in the Asia-Pacific region and 30th in the world among the 168 nations and regions surveyed.
That the nation improved five places from last year’s 35th represented real improvement, Deputy Minister of Justice Chen Ming-tang (陳明堂) said.
One of the main reasons for the nation’s improvement was that the AAC and the ministry’s Investigation Bureau shared information on investigations into corruption in recent years, Chen said.
The boost in CPI ranking was also due to the AAC implementing “corruption preventative measures” for enhanced checking and monitoring mechanisms at all levels in government agencies, along with major investigations and crackdown campaigns, which netted convictions against many officials in the civil service, Chen said.
AAC Director-General Lai Jer-shyong (賴哲雄) also presented the results of his agency’s efforts to fight graft and bribery, and detailed 32 major corruption cases involving 35 prominent figures and government officials.
Lai pointed to high-profile investigations that led to criminal charges or prosecutions, including those of four Taiwan High Court judges in 2010, three prosecutors, six speakers or deputy speakers of county or city councils, two county commissioners, a former director of the Military Intelligence Bureau, and a former minister of the interior.
Taiwan’s a progress toward a clean government was due to the nation’s democratic society which has its basis in the freedom of the press, transparency of fiscal budgets and an independent judiciary.
The annual CPI ranking is compiled by Berlin-based Transparency International, with its latest survey released on Wednesday.
Taiwan garnered 62 points, on a scale of 100, representing an improvement of one point from last year, and an advance of five positions to 30th overall.
In the Asia-Pacific region, Taiwan ranks behind New Zealand (88 points), Singapore (85 points), Australia (79 points), Japan (75 points), Hong Kong (75points) and Bhutan (65 points).
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