Diddion

Astonishing and depressing that the country considered to be one of the best retirement destinations in the world is also seen as one of the most corrupt:

The Portugal News.

Does it surprise you?

MrBife

The only thing that surprises me is that people believe this kind of scripted fake news, designed only to sell newspapers and prompt comment. It's also contradicted by another Ernst and Young recent survey that says something totally different.

https://www.ey.com/en_ie/news/2018/0...y-survey-finds

Seemingly a company determined to let us know they should not be trusted to provide reliable information but hey, maybe they work on the basis that all publicity is good publicity

macliam

Define corruption.
Portugal definitely has a problem with the "who knows who" scenario, but I've never been "asked" to pay for access to something unnecessarily.
Equally, I remember my local Gard in Tipperary taking his kids to the seaside in a car loaned to him by the local "fly-boy" who owned a dozen cars with no tax or insurance.
Both of these are "corruption"..... but they're not the mafia.

Diddion

Where is the contradiction? Your link talks about regions, mine talks about countries. Admittedly, though, I can’t say that the report was not entirely fabricated - but I am inclined to think that was not the case.

Pilotabroad

People of Portugal corrupt? Of course they are!
Are people of many other countries not on that list corrupt? Of course they are!

UK is just as corrupt in my eyes, the only difference I see is that in Portugal it's more open as far as a 'western' country is concerned.

In Portugal I've been told by a local official that he likes whiskey in exchange for info/blind eye.
In a South East Asia country I've been caught riding a scooter illegally and had a policeman charge me a bribe of less than a euro.
In uk I've been told by a high level council official that our companies contract bid was higher than a competitor and at 2pm he will go to the bathroom and 'May' accidentally leave his envelope of tenders there and accidentally pick up a similar envelope of cash in his haste to go on holiday!

A table of most corrupt countries? Maybe some are just more secretive about it and each person's experience will be different.

mfesharne

Corruption occurs everywhere including the UK but I've never encountered any all here........ But will say that there are several Portugal news sources/media that are a cross between fake news & clickbait & I wouldn't trust any of them further than I could throw them.

At least one of them very obviously uses paid content writers who don't do their research & talk absolute misinformed drivel & two more that appear to simply use translator programs & copy & paste

GeniB

Not at all.. When we first came over 10 yrs ago they were in the middle of clearing up some of the more blatant scandals with the then Prime Minister.When the Golden Visa came in many of these involved in implementing it were found to be taking huge bribes ,especially from the Chinese.
What surprises me is that we would expect it to be otherwise..
It's rampant in most countries in the world.Our own being no exception.Do you think that the Russian Oligarchs come by their passports legally ? That a golden visa type system wasn't at work in the UK long before this Portuguese one.We lived in the Netherlands for 30 yrs and were every much awarenesses of it there
Now that Portugal has wriggled out of the 'trap' set for them ..to remain poverty stricken, and debt laden, Punished for the Banking crisis that was non of their doing, and used some initiative in regaining its independence in the world .. There are those who will not like this .It has been too successful in their eyes .
This supposed 'survey' is highly flawed . It gives the barest of detail of who exactly was interview .?.and what their actual qualifications were to make this statement ? My guess is it was aimed at American retirees to stem the flow of those who might be contemplating moving to Portugal with all their money... Nothing like frightening folks

Red Eric

Tell you one thing that isn't surprising.

From that article :
From a Portugal News article of 5 years ago :
Exactly the same position as in 2015, behind exactly the same countries in exactly the same order! Well I never did! Some things never change.


Unless …….. unless ……….. no, surely not. That would never happen again. Not the Portugal News

mfesharne

Bwahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!

Diddion

Ah..... um ........ah.......

Feeling a tad embarrassed right now.

Diddion

Ernst ands Young.

I wrote to a Ernst and a Young, to ask them whether there had been any more recent studies. Well, you lot have proven me completely wrong (damn you!!). This was the EY response:

Good Afternoon David,

My name is Mariana Ludovino and I am contacting you in name of EY Portugal.

In an online publication of the Sun, on February 5 2020, the media states that “Consultant places Portugal as the 5th most corrupt country in the world”, referring to a study carried out by EY. The same publication states that interviews were conducted in 38 countries in Western and Eastern Europe, the Middle East, India and Africa. This publication of Sol, was later cited on other websites, namely The Portugal News website.

Facing this publication, EY clarifies that the study in question, dated 2015, refers to the EMEIA universe, that is Europe, the Middle East, India and Asia, so the results cannot be extrapolated to the global context. Similarly, the result released, regarding the perception of corruption, refers to the perception that respondentes have, in each of the countries, about the occurrence of corruption in the respective country, and the respective reading should be framed with the other variables evaluated in the study. In this context, EY developed globally, a study in 2018 on integrity, which includes the issue of corruption.

We are naturally available to clarify any doubts that may persist, regarding studies developed by EY, so that they can have the right framework, and contribute to the proper clarification of society, on a topic that is considered fundamental.

You can also consult the recently published study by Transparency International (https://www.transparency.org/cpi2019...pi-2019#report) where Portugal appears well classified and in line with other European countries.

Kindly Regards,

MARIANA LUDOVINO

Communication Consultant

macliam

Thanks Diddion - so Portugal comes out equal to Spain and better than Poland and Italy amongst others..... sloppy journalism by the Portugal News, who'd have guessed?

Red Eric

I hope you've learnt some valuable lessons from that

Next time you're corresponding with them could you perhaps ask if they think their relationships with figures such as Isabel dos Santos are more helpful in terms of lending an air of respectability to empires built on corruption or to the identification and eradication of it.

TIA