Local corruption continues
A new report released by the general inspector for public administration points to a precipitous rise in the number of disciplinary and criminal offenses in the public sector over the last year.
The disheartening findings hardly come as a surprise given the lax attitude and tolerance the country’s leftist-led government has shown when it comes to such cases – even though it had promised to crack down on corruption before it came power.
Most of public sector offenses, the report shows, were committed by municipal authorities – a phenomenon that goes back years and continues unabated today – with a devastating ripple effect.
Municipal authorities are prone to breaking the law, not only because of the wide range responsibilities within their remit, and because they make up the bulk of the public administration, but primarily because mayors and senior officials have become accustomed to serving and/or tolerating vested interests at the local level.
