Burundi has very poor human development and control of corruption. It has the lowest access to Internet on the continent, resulting in a population largely unable to defend itself from abuse and claim access to basic rights. Well below its peers on judicial independence and freedom of the press, and with no fiscal transparency, it has registered some progress on administrative simplification, offset however by the other problems mentioned.
Country: Burundi
Anti-Corruption Activist Arrested in Burundi
Prominent anti-corruption activist Faustin Ndikumana has been arrested in Burundi after claiming that judges were being forced to pay bribes in exchange for their appointment. The reason for his arrest remains unclear, as no official charges have been pressed against him yet and no trial date has been determined.
Ndikumana, head of the advocacy group PARCEM, declared earlier this month at a news conference that he had written to Justice Minister Pascal Barandagiye to inform him that his organization had received information from newly-appointed judges that they had been forced to pay between $1,000 and $1,500 for their position. Ndikumana’s lawyer claims that he was arrested for defamation against the Justice Minister, but this information has not been confirmed.
Burundi has been ranked by Transparency International as the most corrupt country in East Africa. According to international analysts and donors, corruption remains one of the main factors hindering the country’s development.
Read the full article “Burundi arrests prominent corruption activist” on trust.org.