According to Transparency International’s (TI) 2011 Corruption Perceptions Index,b “the vast majority of the 183 countries and territories assessed score below five on a scale of 0 (highly corrupt) to 10 (very clean).” Two years earlier, TI acknowledged that its 2009 annual report exposed the pervasive reality of corruption: “It is clear that no region of the world is immune to the perils of corruption.”

“Corruption is the abuse of entrusted power for private gain. It hurts everyone whose life, livelihood or happiness depends on the integrity of people in a position of authority.”​—TRANSPARENCY INTERNATIONAL