One in ten Lithuanians admit to having offered a bribe last year, according to a survey, while one in five say they would give a bribe if it helped them solve a problem.
The survey is part of the latest Lithuanian Corruption Map published by the Special Investigation Service (STT) on Tuesday.
Read more: Lithuania moves up a notch in latest corruption index
In the latest survey, ten percent of the respondents among the general public, five percent of business executives and two percent of civil servants said they had given a bribe in the past 12 months, the anti-corruption body said, noting that the situation has not changed significantly compared to 2020.
“The latest data show that the perception of corruption as a pressing issue in Lithuania has not changed significantly in recent years,” STT Director Žydrūnas Bartkus is quoted in a press release.
“This could be a signal to the sectors constantly identified as the most corrupt ones that it is time to take more decisive steps to create a corruption-proof environment,” he added.
Sixty-five percent of the respondents among the general public thought that bribes can help solve problems. A fifth said they would give a bribe to solve their own problems, and another 39 percent said this would depend on the circumstances. Around four percent of respondents said they had been offered a bribe in the past 12 months.
The percentage of business executives that believe a bribe can help solve issues fell to 41 percent, from 44 percent in 2020, and the percentage of civil servants who thought so went down to 20 percent, from 24 percent.
Nine percent of business executives said they would give a bribe, and a third said it would depend on the circumstances.
The main reasons for not reporting corruption in 2021 remained fear of suffering negative consequences, not believing that the perpetrators will be convicted, believing that everyone knows about corruption but does not report it, or not knowing how to recognise corruption.
The healthcare sector remains the area where people are most at risk of being asked for a bribe or giving one, the STT said, noting that the sector had seen an increase in corrupt practices in recent years.
Members of the public and business executives listed healthcare facilities, courts, the parliament, municipalities and political parties as the most corrupt institutions.
In the Corruption Map 2021 survey, commissioned by the STT, Vilmorus surveyed 1,005 members of the public, 503 business executives and 697 civil servants between September and November 2021.
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