The worst performer is Syria, which is ranked 173rd out of 176 countries, followed by Yemen, Sudan, Libya and Iraq. On a scale from 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean), 90% of countries in the region scored less than 50 points, which Transparency International deems a failing score. Other high-profile corruption cases involving the Middle East have included Brazilian firm Embraer and its sale of private jets to oil giant Saudi Aramco. Across the Middle East and North Africa, rulers such as President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Turkey and President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi of Egypt are becoming increasingly autocratic. Instead of tackling crony capitalism, those leaders usually install even worse forms of corrupt systems,” says Ugaz.

Source: Forbes January 26, 2017 14:44 UTC