Saudi Arabia is among the biggest arms-importing countries that have insufficient safeguards against corruption in the defense industry, Transparency International said.
Seven of the nine countries that imported more than $1.5 billion of weapons in 2011 ranked between high and very high for corruption risk, the non-profit organization said today as it unveiled a ranking of 82 countries. Morocco, Pakistan, Turkey and China were among the largest markets with the lowest grades.
Saudi Arabia signed a $29.4 billion agreement with the U.S. in 2011 to buy 84 new F-15 fighter jets and modernize 70 existing ones. A unit of European Aeronautic, Defence & Space Co. (EAD) is currently being investigated by the U.K. Serious Fraud Office over bribery allegations in the country.
“Arms races can be started just to satisfy the greed of individuals,” Transparency International said in the report, whose principal author was Oliver Cover. “International security can be put at risk through corrupt agendas.”
Bloomberg News
Seven of the nine countries that imported more than $1.5 billion of weapons in 2011 ranked between high and very high for corruption risk, the non-profit organization said today as it unveiled a ranking of 82 countries. Morocco, Pakistan, Turkey and China were among the largest markets with the lowest grades.
Saudi Arabia signed a $29.4 billion agreement with the U.S. in 2011 to buy 84 new F-15 fighter jets and modernize 70 existing ones. A unit of European Aeronautic, Defence & Space Co. (EAD) is currently being investigated by the U.K. Serious Fraud Office over bribery allegations in the country.
“Arms races can be started just to satisfy the greed of individuals,” Transparency International said in the report, whose principal author was Oliver Cover. “International security can be put at risk through corrupt agendas.”
Best Performers
Only Germany and Australia received an A-grade, indicating a very low risk of corruption. The U.S., with the world’s largest defense budget, and the U.K., western Europe’s biggest spender, joined Austria, South Korea, Sweden and Taiwan in receiving B-grades, denoting low corruption risk.
Worst Performers
The worst performers included Algeria, Angola, Cameroon, Eritrea, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Syria. Egypt, one of the largest recipients of U.S. military aid, was among them along with Libya, which is expected to be a major purchaser as it rebuilds its military following NATO air strikes in 2011. China, which imports weapons mainly from Russia, had a high risk for corruption, the group said.
Bloomberg News
No comments:
Post a Comment