World's 10 topmost corrupt countries in 2012

New Delhi: Transparency International, a worldwide NGO has been publishing the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) since 1995 annually ranking countries “by their perceived levels of corruption, as determined by expert assessments and opinion surveys.”Corruption is definied as “the misuse of public power for private benefit” by Transparency International. Most of the Indians may think otherwise. As of 2012, the CPI ranks 176 countries on the world “on a scale from 100 (very clean) to 0 (highly corrupt). Here is a list of the world's top 10 most corrupt countries: 10. VenezuelaVenezuela has earned a CPI score of 1.9 and are ranked 172nd out of 182 countries of the world. The event that kicked off the country's slide in to corruption was the discovery of vast amounts of oil and by the time the '70s decade arrived, the Venezuelans had started calling the petroleum being mined as ”the Devil's excrement”. Hugo Chavez came by in 1999 promising to remove corruption but did nothing to even slow it down as his movement was accused of the same ills as the movement before him; ills such as political patronage, cronyism, and of course, corruption. In Venezuela, even the police, the department appointed to protect the law, are notorious for their corruption and bribery.9. HaitiHaiti was struck by a massive earthquake in 2010, but the 2 billion dollars that came into Haiti as funds for the people inflicted by the earthquake was consumed by the rampant corruption practiced by the bureaucracy.Haiti's CPI score is 1.8 (ranked 175th), and they are plagued by the rampant corruption of the impenetrable bureaucracy.8. IraqIn September 2011, a renowned Iraqi journalist was murdered in his home because he was accused of leading anti government protests. During the Saddam regime, the corruption was so rampant that anyone that so much as lifted a finger against the government was immediately captured and brutally murdered. Saddam and his son were quite infamous for their brutality and corruption. Their CPI score is 1.8 and are ranked 175th.7. SudanSudan gets millions of dollars in aid for development to start the rebuilding process that has become a necessity in the country ravaged by years of war. But the aid funds seldom (read: almost never) go to the purposes of development and instead end up in private hands of the government officials and their foreign banks.Since the country gained self rule in 2005, no effort has been put into prosecuting the officials responsible for corruption despite a commission being set up for just this job. Sudan's CPI score is 1.6 and are ranked at 177th.6. TurkmenistanTurkmenistan spent 69 years under the Soviet Union and their time with the Soviets has left its effects on the government. Though the country declared independence in 1991, the totalitarian rule of the Soviets left its imprint and has led to a totalitarian control by the government of Turkmenistan. The people suffer intense human rights violations and face severe restrictions whenever they try leaving the country. It has the world's third worst freedom of the press, and is the tenth most censored country in the world. Turkmenistan has a CPI of 1.6 and are ranked at 177.5. UzbekistanUzbekistan is a country rich in resources, but the government does not allow for growth in the independent private sector as they keep control over all the resources. The government, infamous for its authoritarianism, is often called the root of all the corruption and the problems that arise as a result. According to a local businessman, the country's half-hearted war on corruption reaped no results and there has been “no progress in the battle against corruption. The country and its society are corrupted through and through.” Turkmenistan's CPI is 1.6 and its ranked at 177.4. AfghanistanAfghanistan is a state riddled with the the corruption of bribery. As recent as 2010, Afghani people paid around 2.5 billion dollars in bribes and nearly half the Afghan population had paid the country in kickbacks. Bribery and the menace of kickbacks are so commonplace in Afghanistan that 38 percent of the people consider it to be normal. Even meeting a politician, something that seems as simple as a normal talk or a handshake, involves giving kickbacks 40 percent of the time. Afghanistan's CPI is 1.9 and is ranked 180th in the world.3. MyanmarMyanmar is rich in natural resources, a blessing that is more of a curse in this country riddled with drug rings and widespread corruption. In fact, these reasons have not only affected Myanmar, but has been considered the root of all problems in the Golden Triangle. On top of all that, the country has been witness to brutal ethnic violence on a large scale and the human rights issues has had it isolated by most of the developed countries of the world. The country's CPI is scored at 1.5 and is ranked 180th in the world tied with Afghanistan.2. North KoreaThis picture shows the “great” leader of North Korea standing with his “happy” citizens having the time of their lives. Yeah, right! It is reported by the RFA that a Chinese national who snuck in and out of North Korea said, “In some places in North Korea, people are starving to death, but railway security agents wear Seiko watches and smoke [Craven A] cigarettes.” There is no reason why someone should even try going to North Korea, but even getting there requires payments of huge sums of money as bribes to officials. There is little that is known about North Korea, as once you're in, you either get captured or find worse fates, or you pay huge bribes to escape, and the testimonies that shed any light on the conditions in North Korea are from the refugees who either paid bribes to escapes or snuck out some other dangerous way. The CPI score, based on what is known, is a lowly 1 and they are ranked at the second last spot, 181st.1. SomaliaIf it weren't for the fact that Somalia is even considered a country, some circles believe it shouldn't be considered as such unless at least a stable shadow of a government is present, it wouldn't even be on this list. The state and the officials, however they are, are so infested with the malice of corruption and brutal violence that it is ranked at the very last among the countries in the world, and by some circles, it is not even considered a country. The corruption and violence was sparked when the US and the USSR used Somalia as a battleground for the political ideologies and backed clans and militias into fighting for their respective sides. Funding from the US really kicked off the particular Siad Barre regime which took corruption to a whole new level. Since the oust of the regime in 1991, Somalia has been essentially lawless and has no government except for parts being governed and fought over by different clans and militias and the coastal areas are riddled by pirates. Their CPI is the lowest 1 and for that, Somalia earns the top spot in being the most corrupt country in the world as of 2012.