MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Paraguayans pay 50 US dollars per capita in bribes

Paraguayans spent some 30 million US dollars in 2005 to bribe bureaucrats, police and other officials according to a watchdog NGO which claims corruption is a pervasive “reality” of the landlocked South American country.

The 2005 National Corruption Survey conducted by the Paraguayan chapter of Transparency International found that citizens paid an average 50 US dollars per capita.

"They are forced out of necessity to live with a reality in which completing a procedure or receiving a public service is only possible paying a bribe" the organization said.

"Corruption and bribes as one of the country's main problems is becoming more relevant", shows the citizens' perception index which reached 29.4% last year, up from 23.5% in 2004.

An estimated 77.2% Paraguayans had for one reason or another to visit a government office and 27.4%, or some 641,714 people, had to be involved in some form of illegality.

Bribes are most frequently paid by people in arrears to prevent disconnection of public utility services, such as water and electricity; individuals building without the legal authorization from local governments and those linked to public works contracts.

But bribes are also almost mandatory to obtain passports, forging military service papers, drivers' licences, permits for street vending and in customs controls.

Transparency Paraguay points out that corruption involves the three branches of government and other public offices.

According to Transparency Paraguay President Nicanor Duarte's administration is increasingly being viewed as one of the most corrupt in recent decades, with 12% of Paraguayans supporting that perception, up from 6.8% in 2004.

The National Corruption Survey 2005 surveyed 1,208 people in urban and rural areas. Transparency International, a non-governmental organization based in Berlin, Germany, combats corruption through a global network of more than 90 locally established national chapters.