Houses for sale in Barbados are transparent

Overseas buyers looking at houses for sale in Barbados should be reassured that the property market is transparent, according to a new report.

The 2011 Corruption Perceptions Index, released this week, ranked Barbados one of the most transparent countries in the region. Canada was ranked in first place, but Barbados was a strong runner up in the report by Transparency International, “a global civil society organisation leading the fight against corruption”.

New Zealand is world's most transparent

The CPI analyses countries around the world, using data from 17 sources to assess the “perceived levels of corruption in the public sector”, reports The Nassau Guardian. This is measured on a scale of zero to ten, with nought marking a very corrupt economy and ten representing a very clean system.

The report looks at public officials, politicians and civil servants to determine how transparent each country’s economy is, giving The Bahamas 7.3 out of 10 – a higher score than America, France, Portugal and others.

The worldwide top five transparent countries are New Zealand, Denmark, Finland, Sweden and Singapore, add the Guardian, while Somalia, Afghanistan, Myanmar, North Korea and Usbekistan make up the bottom five.

Barbados, with its respectable public sector and reliable tourist-driven economy came in joint 16^th place, alongside Austria and the UK.

2011 is the year for transparency

Transparency International Managing Director Cobus de Swardt commented: “2011 saw the movement for greater transparency take on irresistible momentum, as citizens around the world demand accountability from their governments.

“The data sources used to compile the index include questions relating to the abuse of public power and focuses on bribery of public officials, kickbacks in public procurement, embezzlement of public funds, and on questions that probe the strength and effectiveness of anti-corruption efforts in the public sector.”

While de Swardt admits that “the index is not an indication of the existence of corruption but rather dependent solely on the availability of sufficient information”, overseas buyers looking towards the Caribbean for a holiday home or investment will be reassured that Barbados is a safe, transparent country.

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