VILNIUS -- Lithuania is still plagued by widespread corruption, says a new report from human rights group Transparency International.
Some 29 percent of the Lithuanian population haspaid bribes, according to data in the Transparency International Global Corruption Barometer 2007 report.
Lithuania is included as one of Europe's most corrupt countries along with Moldova, Serbia and Ukraine. Lithuania's problem with bribery is even bigger than Russia's, the report says.
The Barometer 2007 found that respondents from low and middle income brackets are hit the hardest by petty bribery, as they are more likely than those from a high income bracket to pay bribes when seeking key services. This result holds true regardless of whether respondents were from richer or poorer countries: those who earn less must pay more often all over the world.
Lithuanians also rank among the peoples with least confidence in the authorities to tackle the problem of corruption. 27% of those questioned believe corruption in decreasing, whereas 37% think it is increasing. 77% feel that government efforts to tackle corruption are ineffective.
Latvia and Estonia were not covered by the report. 1,001 Lithuanians took part in the survey.
