2009 Assessment

This peer-reviewed country report includes:

Integrity Indicators Scorecard: Scores, scoring criteria, commentary, references, and peer review perspectives for more than 300 Integrity Indicators.

Reporter's Notebook: An on-the-ground look at corruption and integrity from a leading local journalist.

Corruption Timeline: Ten years of political context to today's corruption and integrity issues.

The rule of law in Colombia has deteriorated as political influence has negatively impacted the appointment, tenure, and decision-making of justice officials. Citizens who "blow the whistle" are not protected by law and are likely to face retaliation. Similarly, journalists face pressure to self-censor not only from government but also from powerful paramilitary groups and drug traffickers. A new political party law was implemented to curb the influence of drug money in politics with mixed results. Reporters who have reported corruption in the past year have been accused of "lacking patriotism" by the government. Good news can be found in the extension of the Colombian access to information laws to cover military abuse cases. The Colombian election monitoring agency has also been more aggressive in its investigations of political financing violations despite the potential political risks involved.