Africa’s graft campaign hurt by foreigners

NAIROBI – Efforts by poor nations to fight corruption are being marred by companies from developed countries offering bribes to officials from governments and local firms to win contracts, a corruption watchdog said on Wednesday.

Transparency International’s (TI) 2006 Bribe Payers Index, said emerging export powers India, China, Russia and Turkey were among the most likely to offer bribes when doing business abroad. TI also singled out Italy and France.According to responses from Africa alone, instead of all countries surveyed, they were in the bottom six.”The companies that are actually clean in Europe feel that it is fair game to go out to Africa and bribe,” Casey Kelso, TI’s regional director for Africa and the Middle East, told a news conference.”Their squeaky clean image at home doesn’t translate into what they are doing abroad.”Kelso said such practices undermined efforts by African governments to fight corruption.”A government that is trying to be very clean about (graft), is undermined, its anti-corruption drive is undermined,” Kelso said.The index, based on responses of more than 11 000 business people in 125 countries, listed 30 countries rated for their propensity to bribe abroad.The survey showed that small and medium-sized companies were targeted more by the foreign firms as they found it harder to say no.”They are trying to get away with as much economic crime as they can because they think they are not going to get caught and therefore they can bribe and get more contracts that way,” Kelso said.Switzerland, Sweden and Australia came out with the best scores in the survey.Nampa-ReutersTI also singled out Italy and France.According to responses from Africa alone, instead of all countries surveyed, they were in the bottom six.”The companies that are actually clean in Europe feel that it is fair game to go out to Africa and bribe,” Casey Kelso, TI’s regional director for Africa and the Middle East, told a news conference.”Their squeaky clean image at home doesn’t translate into what they are doing abroad.”Kelso said such practices undermined efforts by African governments to fight corruption.”A government that is trying to be very clean about (graft), is undermined, its anti-corruption drive is undermined,” Kelso said.The index, based on responses of more than 11 000 business people in 125 countries, listed 30 countries rated for their propensity to bribe abroad.The survey showed that small and medium-sized companies were targeted more by the foreign firms as they found it harder to say no.”They are trying to get away with as much economic crime as they can because they think they are not going to get caught and therefore they can bribe and get more contracts that way,” Kelso said.Switzerland, Sweden and Australia came out with the best scores in the survey.Nampa-Reuters