CORRUPTION WATCHDOG: 'Worrying decline' in democracies

Anti-graft watchdog Transparency International (TI) warned Tuesday of worsening corruption in democracies worldwide and said the United States had slid to the lowest-ever score on its 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index.

- 

Berlin-based TI also said the average global score had hit its worst level in more than a decade.

US President Donald Trump, since returning to the White House early last year, has upended domestic and foreign politics while ramping up pressure on institutions ranging from universities to the Federal Reserve.

Fed Chairman Jerome Powell is currently under investigation by Trump's Department of Justice after resisting pressure from the president to reduce interest rates.

TI raised concerns over “actions targeting independent voices and undermining judicial independence” in the US.

“The temporary freeze and weakening of enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act signal tolerance for corrupt business practices," the watchdog said.

The Trump administration's gutting of overseas aid has also “weakened global anti-corruption efforts", it said.

The group's index assigns a score between zero (highly corrupt) and 100 (very clean), based on data reflecting the assessments of experts and business executives.