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.

There is much to be concerned about with Qatar's public integrity system. In our first-ever assessment of this energy-rich state, Qatar's performance in virtually every key area of good governance is lacking. Of particular note is the absence of any mechanism through which citizens can make information requests to the government. Legislative accountability also remains inadequate: public officials are not subject to financial disclosure requirements, there are no laws governing gifts and hospitality offered to public officials, and citizens have no access to documents recording legislative debates. Other areas of concern include the lack of accountability in the national judiciary. Although there is an independent judicial oversight mechanism, members of the judiciary are not subject to robust financial disclosure requirements or governed by conflict of interest regulations. Power is concentrated in the executive, with the Emir holding absolute uncontested authority: indeed, "there is no ruling party in Qatar, but rather a ruling family led by the head of state." Naturalized citizens are prohibited from voting. On a more positive note, Qatar has a very strong anti-corruption legal framework in place.