71% of households paid bribes to get services in 2021: TIB

Around 70.9 per cent households in the country paid bribes to get services in various sectors last year while law enforcement agencies were the most corrupt in providing services, a Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) survey has found.

The estimated amount of bribery at the national level was about Tk 10,830 crore last year, which was 5.9 per cent of the revised national budget for the fiscal year 2020-21 and 0.4 per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP), said the survey.

The survey findings were disclosed at a press briefing at the TIB office in the capital’s Dhanmondi on Wednesday.

The survey captured corruption that households experienced while getting services in different sectors from December 2020 to November 2021. 15,454 households across the country were surveyed.

TIB Executive Director Dr Iftekharuzzaman said overall data is alarming despite some positive changes in the service sector’s corruption scenario.

The Department of Immigration and Passports and Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) were the second and third most corrupt service-oriented entities respectively, the survey found.

It also found some 74.4 per cent of the households were victims of corruption by law enforcement agencies, 70.5 per cent by the Department of Immigration and Passports, and 68.3 per cent by BRTA.

Besides, 56.8 per cent of the households became victims of corruption while seeking judicial services, which was 48.7 per cent for health services, 46.6 per cent for local government services, 46.3 per cent for land services, and 33.9 per cent for education services.

About 72.1 per cent of the respondents said they paid bribes as service is not available otherwise. In 2021, each household was forced to pay Tk 6,636 in bribes on average to get services.

The anti-graft watchdog made 10 recommendations to reduce corruption, including ensuring legal accountability of those involved in graft and the digitalisation of government services. It also said the Anti-Corruption Commission should play a vital role in this regard.

The survey said some 99.5 per cent of Bangladeshi households received services in different sectors in 2021.

The TIB has been conducting a national survey since 1997 to identify the nature and extent of corruption in service sectors. Nine surveys have so far been carried out at regular intervals of two to three years, Iftekharuzzaman said.

He also said the survey has no link to the Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index.