Transparency International has released its latest Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI). The organization says the CPI reinforces the link between poverty and corruption, adding that the “machinery of corruption remains well-oiled, despite improved legislation.”

The CPI rates countries on a scale of 0 to 10, with zero indicating high levels of perceived corruption and ten indicating low levels. The CPI looks at perceived corruption by public officials.

Chantal Uwimana is the head of Transparency International’s sub-Saharan Africa branch. From Berlin, she spoke to VOA English to Africa Service reporter Joe De Capua about how the continent fared.

“African countries ranked in the CPI…have a score of less than five, which is really a very low score. That shows that corruption remains a major issue across the continent, with countries like Chad, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan and Guinea at the bottom of this year’s global rankings,” she says.

As for the reasons, Uwimana says, “Those countries are countries where the situation is already difficult. So, one can make a link between poor countries and corruption, the level of poverty and corruption. But also countries in conflict situations where maybe the rule of law is no longer applied. And where you can see that the level of corruption gets higher.”