Municipalities lead ranking of corruption cases

SANTIAGO.- A significant national increase in corruption cases has been noted, with municipalities replacing public companies as the institutions most affected by such cases during 2008.

The information has been revealed by the "2009 Corruption Poll" taken by the Instituto Libertad y Desarrollo, which includes the participation of 400 business leaders and executives.

Most of the institutions –public companies, municipalities, ministries, the Judicial Branch, regional governments- all reported an increased perception of corruption, with the Internal Tax Service serving as the only exception.

With regards to the types of corrupt activity, nepotism rose from 41% to 47% when compared to last year and was, just as noted in previous polls, the most frequent type of offense.

Illegal payments came in second as the most frequently mentioned offense.