Topic Guide: Judicial Corruption

Judicial corruption in Ethiopia. Hammergren, L., 2012. in Jannelle Plummer, (ed.), Diagnosing corruption in Ethiopia: perceptions, realities and the way forward for key sectors. Washington, D.C.: World Bank.http://elibrary.worldbank.org/... 

The chapter by Hammergren maps corruption in the justice sector in Ethiopia. The judiciary is one element of the justice sector that is analysed. The chapter sets out a general overview of the forms of corruption that can affect the various judicial system actors in different areas of the justice sector. It describes the tension between respecting judicial independence and making judiciaries more accountable and it describes the particular challenges of attempting to make more accountable the wide discretionary powers enjoyed by judicial actors.  

Assessment of justice sector integrity and capacity in three Nigerian states. UNODC, 2010. https://www.unodc.org/document...  

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), in collaboration with the justice system in Nigeria in 2006, undertook an assessment to understand the levels of integrity and capacity of justice sector institutions in three states in Nigeria. The part of the assessment that deals with the judiciary’s role in criminal justice includes questionnaires carried out with official actors as well as defendants awaiting trial. The questionnaire asks about corruption risks and experiences and perceptions of corruption. The assessment also reviewed criminal cases to assess patterns of corruption risks, including how a judge exercised discretion in adjudicating bail applications. A rigorous methodology was applied in the assessment as well as an analysis of the findings. Actions for reform are listed.  

Corruption risks in criminal process and judiciary (Ukraine). Council of Europe, 2009. http://www.coe.int/t/dghl/coop...  

The Council of Europe, together with a Ukrainian-based NGO and a consulting company, analysed the risks of corruption in criminal trials in Ukraine, among other aspects of the Ukrainian criminal, civil, economic and administrative justice system. The methodology included research of the laws and practices of the courts, case studies and questionnaires concerning perceptions and experiences of corrupt behaviour as well as the effectiveness and efficiency of the system. Interviews and focus-group discussions took place with stakeholders, including court officials and court users.   

Assessment of judicial integrity and capacity in two Indonesian provinces. UNODC, 2006. https://www.unodc.org/pdf/corr...  

Using the same methodology as the above Nigerian assessment, with a similar questionnaire, the tool assessed the levels of integrity and capacity of justice sector institutions in two Indonesian provinces.