Corruption in Peru remains deeply entrenched in state institutions and there is little sign that it has improved since President Ollanta Humala took office, according to a survey of citizens in the Andean countr,y recently released by global watchdog Transparency International.
According to the survey, 86 percent of Peruvians said that the level of corruption in the country has remained the same or become worse during the past two years, while the other 14 percent says it has decreased a little or a lot. President Humala, a former military officer, took office in July 2011.
The survey, called the Global Corruption Barometer, also found that 44 percent of respondents reported they or someone in their household have paid a bribe to a police officer in the past 12 months, and 32 percent of respondents said that a bribe has been paid to someone in the judiciary in the past year.
There were no surprises in which Peruvian institutions are seen as the most corrupt, with the judiciary leading the way, followed by political parties, the police and Congress.
Respondents did seem optimistic, however, in their ability to curb corruption. More than 80 percent of those polled said that they believe they can make a difference in the fight against corruption, while 18 percent said they disagreed with that statement.
