By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Moscow : Corruption in Russia was most deeply-rooted within the traffic police, kindergartens and higher educational institutions, says a report by an international watchdog.
The study by the Open Government Partnership said that about half of those who dealt with traffic police (52 percent) had been asked for a bribe.
The situation with kindergartens and universities was no better. Around 51 and 46 percent respectively of those who dealt with such institutions said they had faced corruption.
The Open Government Partnership is an international initiative designed to make government more transparent and effective.
Its task is to develop a list of reforms to be fulfilled within the next two to three years, which will help develop the country’s economy and protect the rights of citizens.
The report said that corruption was also rampant within the army, especially during draft periods, and in state medical establishments.
Officials from almost all spheres are extracting bribes from private companies, the report said.
Russia’s economy could have shown a six percent year-on-year growth instead of the current four percent if corruption practices were eradicated, the report said.
“In 2011, Russia’s net capital outflow reached 4.5 percent of GDP. The situation continued in 2012 despite the favourable foreign economic environment,” it said.
Corruption in Russia remains extremely high, with the country ranked 143rd out of 182 in Transparency International’s 2011 Corruption Perceptions Index published in December 2011.