This Article is From Jul 05, 2014

'40 Percent' of Madagascar Budget Lost to Corruption: PM

'40 Percent' of Madagascar Budget Lost to Corruption: PM

Malagasy Security forces parade during the Malagasy Independence Day celebrations at Mahamasina Stadium on June 26, 2014 in Antananarivo, Madagascar.

Antananarivo: Madagascar's Prime Minister Roger Kolo has vowed to stamp out corruption after revealing that 40 percent of his country's budget is lost to graft.

"Forty percent of the state's budget is diverted. That's unacceptable," Kolo told reporters on Thursday.

"The independent anti-corruption bureau, created in 2004, will be restructured and the second national stage of the fight against corruption will be adopted soon," said Kolo, who was named prime minister in April.

According to Madagascar's 2014 Finance Act, its national budget should be 940 million euros ($1.3 billion).

The island nation is one of the poorest in the world and also suffers from one of the highest corruption rates, coming 127th out of 177 nations on Transparency International's annual graft ranking.
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