The Corruption Perception Index (CPI) for 2025, released by Transparency International on Tuesday, February 10th, ranked Yemen 177th out of 182 nations, scoring 13 out of a possible 100, positioning it among the five most corrupt countries globally alongside Libya, Venezuela, Somalia, and South Sudan. The annual report provides updated global rankings assessing perceptions of public sector corruption across 182 countries and territories, using a scale where zero signifies "highly corrupt" and 100 indicates "highly clean." Yemen's score reflects a continued decline, having ranked 173rd in 2024 and 176th in 2023 with a score of 16. The report specifically highlighted that corruption in Yemen has become particularly entrenched since the Iran-aligned Houthi militia seized control of the capital, Sana'a, and several governorates in September 2014, preceding the outbreak of war in late March 2015. The report asserted the involvement of Houthi officials in various ministries, institutions, and sectors in cases related to misappropriation of public funds, bribery, undermining the national economy, and money laundering. Furthermore, the findings revealed that the Houthis not only seized reserves from the Central Bank of Yemen and general budget revenues derived from taxes, customs, petroleum products, gas, Zakat, fees, and services, but they also gained control over internationally funded projects and manipulated the distribution of humanitarian aid, either diverting it from intended recipients or selling it on the black market. Data from the Financial Information Collection Unit at the Central Bank of Yemen in Aden indicates a notable increase in notifications concerning suspicious transactions related to money laundering or terrorism financing. The number of such notifications reached 133 in 2024, up from 94 in 2023 and 65 in 2022, while inquiries rose from 363 in 2022 to 507 in 2024. Manuel Perenno, Transparency International's Regional Advisor for the Middle East and North Africa, stated that "Corruption remains deeply rooted in the region, inflicting direct negative consequences on the lives of individuals." He urged nations to expand the role of civil society, enhance transparency, and guarantee the independence and adequate resourcing and training of anti-corruption bodies and oversight agencies, emphasizing that "without effective accountability frameworks, corruption will persist." Since its inception in 1995, the Corruption Perception Index has relied on data from 13 external sources, including the World Bank, the World Economic Forum, consulting firms, and think tanks, with the resulting scores reflecting the assessments of experts and business leaders regarding the prevalence of public sector corruption. |
