IRELAND: Transparency International's (TI) Irish chapter rejected reports yesterday that Ireland is becoming more corrupt after the country appeared for the first time in its global corruption report.
It said Ireland's debut arose because of TI's greater analysis of corruption issues around the world, and does not imply anything about Ireland's level of corruption.
Ireland remains alongside Belgium and the US on TI's separate Corruption Perception Index (CPI), released each October, as the 17th least corrupt country.
"Transparency International refutes claims that Ireland is becoming more corrupt.
"Ireland's position on this league table would indicate that Ireland is one of the less corrupt countries in the western world, and that its position has remained unchanged for the last two years," said John Devitt, acting chief executive of TI's new Irish chapter.
The Irish report was written by Dr Gary Murphy, senior lecturer in government at Dublin City University.
He provides an overview of the last decade of Irish tribunals and makes several recommendations, including the appointment of a police ombudsman and for the continuation of the tribunals.
"The tribunals should be allowed to continue their work, making the Irish body politic face up to its past and creating pressure for higher standards in public life in the future," wrote Dr Murphy.
Experts in TI's Berlin office said Ireland's debut in the corruption report yesterday could be seen as a positive sign.
"I don't think you can say there is an increased level of corruption in Ireland. I think the opposite is true," said Miklos Marschall, TI's director for Europe.
