Law enforcement agencies have emerged as the most corrupt in the country’s service sector in the latest and 2017 survey report published by Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB).
About 73 per cent service seekers fall prey to corruption of law enforcing agencies while about 61 per cent have to pay bribe. On an average, a household pays Tk 6972 to the sector, the report said.
The second highest corrupt service is passport, 67.3 per cent, followed by Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA), 65.4 per cent, judiciary, 60.5 per cent, land, 44.9 per cent, education, 42.9 per cent, health, 42.5 per cent.
The total estimated amount of bribe is Tk 106.89 billion, which is 3.4 per cent of the revised budget of 2016-17 and 0.5 per cent of GDP.
The rate of corruption and bribery is higher in rural areas than in urban areas, the study found.
TIB published the eighth report 'Corruption in Service Sector: National Household Survey 2017' Thursday at a press conference at its auditorium in Midas Centre in Dhaka city.
It surveyed 15 specific sectors, along with some others, from January 01 till March 31 2018 considering it as one year time of 2017.
TIB executive director Iftekharuzzaman said that the overall scenario of corruption is alarming. Although the level of bribery declined in 2017, compared to 2015, the amount had increased. Low income people are victims of corruption, compared to the better-off, he added.
"People have taken it for granted that they must pay bribe or commit corruption as part of their life to get services, which is disgraceful for us as a nation. In some sectors, the level of corruption has decreased but, overall, it has remained the same as 2015," he said.
