Malta has fallen 10 places to its lowest-ever position in Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), ranking 65th in a report issued today.

The country scored 46 out of 100 in the 2024 edition of the index, the first time its score dipped below 50 since first appearing in the publication in 2012.

Countries are ranked on a scale from zero (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean). The Western Europe and EU average is 66, with Denmark (90) topping the regional and global list as the least corrupt and Hungary (41) perceived as the most corrupt EU country.

Malta’s score on the latest report places it alongside Kuwait, Montenegro and Romania, and behind Saudi Arabia, and Rwanda. Regionally, only Bulgaria and Hungary ranked lower.

Malta’s score dropped to its lowest point last year. Graphic: Transparency International.

Since 2015, when Malta achieved its best results – scoring 60 and ranking 34th – the country has witnessed an overall gradual decline in its corruption performance, with only an incremental improvement seen temporarily in 2021.

PN MEP David Casa described the result as "disgraceful" and blamed Prime Minister Robert Abela. 

"He has openly defended the corrupt, pledged to entrench impunity for criminals, and attacked everyone who dared demand justice for his party’s crimes," Casa charged.

What does the index measure?

The index measures the perception of corruption within the public sectors of 180 countries and territories using data from 13 independent sources that consult with country experts and those in business.

Examples of public sector corruption measured by the index include bribes or the use of political connections to win government contracts or obtain licenses, according to Transparency International.

It does not measure perceptions of transnational forms of corruption, money laundering or the role of the private sector in facilitating corruption, however.

Transparency International said there was “systemic corruption in public procurement in several EU countries,” while citing “gaps in legal frameworks and poor enforcement” as being among the issues facing countries in the region.

Characterising rule of law in Malta as being in a state of breakdown, the report highlighted the criminal charges against former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and others in relation to the fraudulent hospitals deal.

“High-level officials in Malta abused their power to benefit private interests, putting public health at risk... the former prime minister, and former ministers and officials, are currently facing criminal charges relating to corruption,” it said.

Joseph Muscat waves to supporters ahead of being arraigned in May. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

The now annulled deal saw taxpayers pay at least €355 million to Vitals Global Healthcare, a company with no prior experience in the sector, and later American company Steward Healthcare to take over the running of three state hospitals.

The deal has been conservatively estimated at €4 billion should it have been allowed to continue for the full 30 years.

The report noted that the average score for the Western Europe and EU region had dropped for the second consecutive year, with Germany and France declining “and even traditionally strong Nordic countries such as Norway and Sweden recording their lowest ever scores.”

Emphasising the link between the “corruption crisis” and reduced global efforts to tackle climate change, the report called it a “huge obstacle to solving the climate crisis.”

It noted that two-thirds of countries round the world scored below halfway on the index, characterising corruption as “growing in scale and complexity... with huge and potentially devastating implications for global climate action.”

Transparency International chair François Valérian said corruption was “an evolving global threat” leading to “declining democracy, instability and human rights violations.”

Calling tackling the problem a “top and long-term priority,” he said the dangerous trends revealed in this year’s index highlight the need to follow through with concrete action now to address global corruption.

PN: Robert Abela has failed the good governance test

In a reaction to the report, the Nationalist Party said Robert Abela had failed the good governance test.

"Instead of fighting corruption, Robert Abela is rushing to pass a law on Magisterial Inquiries to remove the right of private citizens to request investigations by magistrates. He is pushing for this law because he knows he can control Police Commissioner Angelo Gafà and pull the strings as he pleases," the shadow minister on public administration, Claudette Buttigieg, and Karol Aquilina, shadow minister for justice, said in a statement. 

"In 12 years, the Labour Party has managed to destroy our country’s reputation and create a system of institutionalised corruption. Maltese and Gozitan families and businesses will be the ones to suffer the consequences of Robert Abela’s failure," she added.

"This is a grave injustice to the hardworking Maltese and Gozitan families and businesses who strive daily to abide by the country’s laws. It is also unfair to the thousands of government employees working in agencies, entities, and authorities who are fed up with the abuses being committed by Robert Abela’s Government. The PN firmly believes that government employees should be free to carry out their duties without political interference and without the fear of government retaliation if they speak up and stop the abuse."