Our country obtained a score of 4.25 points in the 2021 index, 4.55 in 2020 and 4.65 in 2019.
For the second consecutive year, Mexico decreased in its effectiveness in combating corruption, falling three positions to 11th place among 15 Latin American economies, according to the Capacity to Combat Corruption Index (CCC), developed by The Americas Society / Council of the Americas (AS / COA) and Control Risks.
“In the months following the midterm elections, it will be crucial to monitor whether the integrity of the independent institutions is maintained. The president and the members of MORENA have criticized the National Institute of Transparency, Access to Information and Protection of Personal Data (INAI) and the National Electoral Institute (INE) and could seek reforms that affect their autonomy “, warns the report on Mexico.
Likewise, it points out that the support that President Andrés Manuel López has given to a Senate initiative to extend the mandate of the President of the Supreme Court of Justice, Arturo Zaldívar, who has previously supported the President, “the measure raises doubts about the interference of the executive power over the judiciary ”.
Since 2019, the CCC index has analyzed 15 Latin American economies on their effectiveness in detecting, punishing, and preventing corruption and Mexico shows a downward trend in the last two years due to the weakening of its legal capacity and legislative processes and of government.
Based on examining 14 key variables, such as the independence of judicial institutions, the strength of investigative journalism, and the amount of resources available to combat white-collar crime, the index is based on a large amount of data and a survey among anti-corruption experts from Control Risks, academia, civil society, the media and the private sector. Countries with a higher score (10 points) are considered to be more likely to have corrupt actors prosecuted and punished.
“Continued impunity is more likely in countries located at the lower end of the scale,” says the report in which Mexico appears in the 2021 index at the bottom of the table of 15 countries, only above Paraguay, Guatemala, Bolivia, and Venezuela. The first places were occupied by Uruguay, Chile, Costa Rica, Peru, and Argentina.
Mexico scored 4.25 points in the 2021 index, compared to 4.55 points in 2020 and 4.65 points in 2019.
“ Mexico’s score fell 8 percent in the legal capacity category, where it is now only ahead of Venezuela and Bolivia in the variable that measures the independence of the attorney general. The National Anticorruption System (SNA) has not been launched, and has even suffered significant budget cuts as part of the austerity measures. This contributed to a 13 percent decrease in the variable that assesses the independence and effectiveness of anti-corruption agencies. There has been a lack of transparency both in public procurement during the pandemic and in trusts, several of which have been dismantled and centralized under the executive branch, ”the report explains.
The country fared best in the civil society and media category, where Mexico ranks fifth in the region.
“Despite AMLO’s rhetorical attacks on NGOs, the mobilization of civil society against corruption remains strong, only behind Uruguay. Mexico also experienced increases in the two variables that measure the use of digital communications and social networks and the quality of the press, ”he points out.
Source: elfinanciero.com.mx
