Corruption and Judiciary index ranking, Bangladesh

Brief Overview:
The Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) is an index that scores countries on how corrupt their
governments are believed to be. It is a composite index, a combination of 13 surveys and
assessments of corruption, collected by a variety of reputable institutions. The CPI is the most
widely used indicator of corruption worldwide. The WJP Rule of Law Index measures rule of law
performance in 128 countries and jurisdictions across eight primary factors: Constraints on
Government Powers, Absence of Corruption, Open Government, Fundamental Rights, Order
and Security, Regulatory Enforcement, Civil Justice, and Criminal Justice. The Index is the
world’s leading source for original, independent data on the rule of law.
Bangladesh at glance:
According to major ranking institutions, Bangladesh is among the most corrupt countries in the
world. Bangladesh scored 26 out of 100 points and was ranked 14th from the bottom and 146th
from the top among 180 countries in the Transparency International’s (TI) Corruption
Perceptions Index (CPI) 2019. As per the latest CPI which ranks countries and territories by their
perceived levels of public sector corruption each year, Bangladesh scored far below than the
global average score (43) and its position remains 2nd lowest for the 7th consecutive years
among eight South Asian countries- lower than all except Afghanistan. TI Bangladesh called
upon the government to take more drastic and effective steps beyond pledges and short-term
operations against corruption.
Perception on Judicial System:
Companies face a high risk of corruption in the Bangladeshi judicial system. Companies have
insufficient confidence in the judiciary’s independence and the efficiency of the legal framework
when it comes to settling disputes and challenging regulations (GCR 2017-2018). Businesses
report that irregular payments and bribes are frequently exchanged in order to obtain
favorable court decisions (GCR 2015-2016). Although formally separate since 2007, the
executive maintains control over judicial appointments and the judiciary remains closely aligned
with the executive branch (ICS 2017). Sluggish judicial processes and the slow development of
alternative dispute resolution mechanisms pose barriers to the resolution of business disputes
(ICS 2017). Corruption is perceived to be widespread in lower courts (ICS 2017); magistrates,
attorneys, and other court officials frequently demand bribes from defendants or rule based on
loyalty to patronage networks (HRR 2017). The judicial system also suffers from a backlog of
cases, political interference and weak institutional capacities (HRR 2017). Delays in the
recruitment of judges have left several hundred positions in lower courts vacant, leading to a
substantial case backlog (HRR 2017). Enforcing a contract is a big challenge for businesses as it
is uncertain, takes an average of 1,442 days, and is extremely costly (DB 2018).
For companies seeking to settle disputes for export-related transactions, the Bangladesh Export
Promotion Bureau may offer facilitation. Bangladesh is a signatory to the 1958 New York
Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards, and it is a member
state to the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID).
Bangladesh’s overall rule of law score decreased 1.6% in this year’s Index (2020). At 115th place
out of 128 countries and jurisdictions worldwide, Bangladesh fell two positions in global rank.
Bangladesh’s score places it at 4 out of 6 countries in the South Asia region*(Countries and
jurisdictions measured in the South Asia region: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal,
Pakistan, Sri Lanka) and 21 out of 30 among lower middle-income countries. Significant trends
for Bangladesh included an improvement in the factor measuring Order and Security.
BANGLADESH RANKINGS
WJP (World Justice Project) Rule of Law Index 2020 performance (1 is best)
BANGLADESH OVERALL GLOBAL RANK: 115/128
BANGLADESH OVERALL REGIONAL RANK*: 4/6

FACTOR GLOBAL RANK REGIONAL RANK* INCOME RANK

Constraints on 107/128 6/6 21/30
Government Powers
Absence of 102/128 4/6 16/30
Corruption
Open Government 93/128 5/6 17/30
Fundamental Rights 122/128 6/6 28/30
Order and Security 103/128 3/6 22/30
Regulatory 111/128 4/6 22/30
Enforcement
Civil Justice 119/128 5/6 25/30
Criminal Justice 104/128 5/6 20/30

Source:
https://www.ti-bangladesh.org/beta3/index.php/en/activities/5993-corruption-perceptions-
index-2019-bangladesh-now-14th-most-corrupt-country-tib-stressed-on-political-integrity-to-
ensure-zero-tolerance-against-corruption

 World Bank: Doing Business 2018.

 World Economic Forum: Global Competitiveness Index 2017-2018.

 Freedom House: Freedom of the Press 2017.

 US Department of State: Human Rights Report 2017.

 OCCRP: “Bangladesh: Owner of Collapsed Building Jailed for Corruption”, 30 August
2017.

 World Economic Forum: The Global Competitiveness Report 2015-2016.

 Transparency International: Government Defence Anti-Corruption Index 2015.

 Transparency International: Bangladesh: Corruption risks in the public financial

management system, April 2015.

 Transparency International: Bangladesh: Governance in Ready-made Garments Sector:

Review of Progress in Last One Year – Executive Summary, April 2015.

 CNN: “Charges filed in 2013 Bangladesh factory collapse that killed more than 1,000”, 1
June 2015.

 Norton Rose Fulbright: Anti-Corruption Law Bangladesh 2014.

 Transparency International: National Integrity System Assessment – Bangladesh 2014.

 World Bank: Global Enterprise Survey – Bangladesh 2013.

 https://www.transparency.org/cpi2019