Corruption scandals and lax oversight drag Czechia down in global ranking

The Czech Republic has dropped five spots to 46th place in Transparency International’s (TI) 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index, citing weak government anti-corruption measures, lack of political accountability, and vulnerabilities in public procurement processes.

Slovakia saw an even steeper decline, falling 12 places to 59th in the ranking of 180 countries.

Czechia scored 56 out of 100 points, one point lower than last year and six points below the European Union average. Transparency International’s Czech branch attributes the country’s worsening position to postponed reforms, low political integrity, and unchecked influence in public contracting.

“The government of Prime Minister Petr Fiala cannot claim any significant success in fighting corruption. The passage of anti-corruption laws is frequently delayed or obstructed by members of the governing coalition,” said Ondřej Kopečný, head of TI Czechia.

One of the key areas of concern is public procurement—the allocation of taxpayer money for public projects, services, and equipment. Transparency International warns that the unchecked power of the Antimonopoly Office Chairman and insufficient oversight leave procurement vulnerable to manipulation.

The report cites a recent investigation by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office uncovered evidence of tender rigging in Czech hospitals, where privileged bidders were given access to procurement management systems to compare and adjust their offers before the contracts were awarded.

In the case of regional hospitals, authorities have flagged 42 suspicious contracts worth CZK 175 million. The Ministry of Regional Development temporarily froze one billion crowns in European subsidies to prevent misuse, with investigators focusing on whether companies were handpicked for lucrative contracts at the expense of fair competition.

Ten individuals, including hospital executives, were arrested in connection with the scandal.

Czechia now ranks behind Poland (48th) but remains ahead of Hungary, which is the worst-rated EU country in the index. Slovakia’s sharp decline under Prime Minister Robert Fico’s government is also a concern, as Transparency International warns of weakening anti-corruption safeguards.

At the top of the ranking, Denmark once again leads as the least corrupt country, followed by Finland and Singapore. At the other end of the spectrum, South Sudan, Somalia, and Venezuela remain the worst-ranked nations.

The Corruption Perceptions Index ranks countries on a scale from 0 (high corruption) to 100 (very low corruption) based on expert surveys. These assess the effectiveness of anti-corruption measures and the prevalence of corruption in government and business. 

Despite concerns, the Czech government has yet to enact major reforms.

"In the Czech Republic, we regularly witness situations where the government of Petr Fiala adopts anti-corruption legislation only at the moment when there is a threat of sanctions for failure to fulfill foreign obligations arising from EU membership or after pressure from the State Group against Corruption," said David Kotora, director of the Czech branch of Transparency International.

Without decisive action, experts warn that continued corruption in public procurement could further erode trust in institutions and deepen inefficiencies in public services.