RIYADH — Saudi Arabia's ranking in the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) of Transparency International jumped seven positions, reaching 51 among 180 countries during the year 2019. Saudi Control and Anti-Corruption Commission announced this, quoting a report released by Transparency International on Thursday. According to the report, the Kingdom ranked 10th among the G20 countries, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported. Transparency International releases CPI annually based on perceived levels of corruption in countries. The CPI is based on a combination of surveys and assessments on corruption released by a number of international organizations and institutions such as the World Economic Forum (WEF), the Global Insight (GI), and the Bertelsmann Foundation (BF), the International Institute for Management Development (IMD), Political Risk Services (PRS), the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), and Varieties of Democracy (VDEM). Meanwhile, Mazen Al-Kahmous, president of Control and Anti-Corruption Commission, said that the Kingdom's progress in international benchmarks confirms its efforts to reach its internationally deserved position. "The directives of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman showed their determination to eradicate financial and administrative corruption and establish the principles of transparency, justice and economic reform. "These produced great impact on global evaluation indexes, including the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI)," he said, while calling for more efforts to realize achievements that accomplish the aspirations of the wise leadership to take the Kingdom to its globally deserved position. Al-Kahmous said the Kingdom is currently witnessing, during the era of King Salman and the Crown Prince, a road map to combat corruption, which constitutes an essential basis for the Kingdom's Vision 2030 aimed at implementing reforms and reducing the risks of corruption. He affirmed the international position of the Kingdom among 20 economically strongest countries in the world. Al-Kahmous thanked all the concerned parties for their cooperation with the Commission to improve the Kingdom's ranking in global assessment indexes in the field of integrity protection and combating corruption. "The Commission relies a lot on its continued cooperation with the relevant government authorities with regard to provision of the required information," he added.
