LatAm in Focus: How Courts Can Make or Break Latin America's Corruption Battle
LatAm in Focus: How Courts Can Make or Break Latin America's Corruption Battle
Transparency International’s Luciana Torchiaro explains which countries are falling short—as well as bright spots—in the fight against corruption.
First the good news. Generally, Latin Americans don’t feel their countries have gotten more corrupt. Now the bad news: They don’t feel it’s gotten much better either.
In the latest episode, Luciana Torchiaro, regional advisor for Latin America and the Caribbean with Transparency International, covers the reasons why the the Western Hemisphere–and the world—have slowed pace in the fight against corruption. In January, her organization released its annual Corruption Perceptions Index, a tool that ranks 180 countries around the world based on perceived levels of public sector corruption. The 2023 round found that, overall, the Americas are stagnating and have an average score of 43 out of 100, meaning 20 points below global leader Europe.
As Torchiaro explains to AS/COA Online’s Luisa Leme, one avenue to progress would be strengthening judiciary independence. “We need more transparency on the processes, on the appointments, and on the removals of judges and prosecutors. That is critical,” Torchiaro says, covering moves to stack courts and erode judiciaries in Brazil, Mexico, and Honduras.
The fifth edition of AS/COA and Control Risks’ CCC Index explores 15 Latin American countries’ ability to detect, punish, and prevent corruption.
Subscribe to Latin America in Focus, AS/COA's podcast focusing on the latest trends in politics, economics, and culture throughout the Americas.
