Houses for sale in Barbados are transparent

Overseas buyers looking at houses for sale in
Barbados should be reassured that the property market is transparent,
according to a new report.

The 2011 Corruption Perceptions Index, released this week,
ranked Barbados one of the most transparent countries in the region. Canada was
ranked in first place, but Barbados was a strong runner up in the report by
Transparency International, “a global civil society organisation leading the
fight against corruption”.

New Zealand is world’s most transparent

The CPI analyses countries around the world, using data from
17 sources to assess the “perceived levels of corruption in the public sector”,
reports The
Nassau Guardian. This is measured on a scale of zero to ten, with nought
marking a very corrupt economy and ten representing a very clean system.

The report looks at public officials, politicians and civil
servants to determine how transparent each country’s economy is, giving The Bahamas
7.3 out of 10 – a higher score than America, France, Portugal and others.

The
worldwide top five transparent countries are New Zealand, Denmark, Finland,
Sweden and Singapore, add the Guardian, while Somalia, Afghanistan, Myanmar,
North Korea and Usbekistan make up the bottom five.

Barbados, with its respectable public sector and reliable
tourist-driven economy came in joint 16^th place, alongside Austria
and the UK.

2011 is the year for transparency

Transparency International Managing Director Cobus de Swardt
commented: “2011 saw the movement for greater transparency take on irresistible
momentum, as citizens around the world demand accountability from their
governments.

“The data sources used to compile the index include
questions relating to the abuse of public power and focuses on bribery of
public officials, kickbacks in public procurement, embezzlement of public
funds, and on questions that probe the strength and effectiveness of anti-corruption
efforts in the public sector.”

While de Swardt admits that “the index is not an indication
of the existence of corruption but rather dependent solely on the availability
of sufficient information”, overseas buyers looking towards the Caribbean for a
holiday home or investment will be reassured that Barbados is a safe, transparent
country.