The cost of doing business in Afghanistan soared in 2012, as fully half of all the nation’s adult-aged residents were forced to bribe public officials in order to obtain services, according to the United Nations.
To put a dollar figure on it: Afghanistan’s costs of corruption hit $3.9 billion, according to the United Nations, cited by AP.
The corruption problem has plagued Afghanistan for years and turned back potential investments from the West, according to AP. Still, the 2012 findings show improvement from 2009.
Three years ago, AP reports, nearly 60 percent of adults had to pay at least one bribe to obtain services.
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Cheryl Chumley is a continuous news writer for The Washington Times. Previously, she was part of the start-up team for The Washington Times’ digital aggregation product, Times247. She’s also a 2008-2009 Robert Novak journalism fellow with The Phillips Foundation. She can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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