Bribery still a problem

[NewsWhore]

Bribery is still a big issue in government in the Dominican Republic, according to a recent study. The study by the Center for Political and Social Studies at PUCMM University indicates that 13% of people had to bribe someone in government to get things done. "Minor corruption," as it is labeled, also indicates that 7% of people relied on personal connections in order to get things done in a timely fashion, and that 75% of the people who bribed someone handed the bribe money directly to the person who was serving them. The study also pointed out that in 81% of cases it is the public servant, not the customer who suggests a bribe would help. The study specifies that in 88.8% of cases involving the police, it was not the citizen who offered the bribe. And in schools, courts, and license issues 95.8%, 88.1% and 88.1% of the time the citizen did not initiate talk of bribery. A total of 1,878 people were interviewed for the study, which indicated that public schools, police affairs, courts, and getting a license were the places where the largest number of bribes exchanged hands. The study was conducted between 19 November 2005 and 20 December 2005, and covered Dominicans 18 years or older in the Santo Domingo area.

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