Agence Nationale Anti-Corruption was set up last month in the wake of reforms introduced in 2013 after former budget minister Jérôme Cahuzac was found to have covered up illegal cash held in foreign accounts and was forced out of the government.
But the map, from non-governmental corruption group Transparency International France (TIF), makes it clear that corruption is endemic across the country.
TIF’s parent body, Transparency International, has an annual list of the world’s least corrupt countries and this has Denmark in top place followed by New Zealand, Finland, Sweden, Switzerland, Norway, Singapore, Netherlands, Canada, Germany, Luxembourg and the UK – with France at No23, just ahead of the Bahamas, Chile and UAE.
TIF advocacy manager Elsa Foucraut said: “The point is that in the past people would just shrug, they expected politicians to be corrupt, to be feathering their own nests. But, today, the French require more transparency, they want the truth.”
The 2013 law on increasing the transparency of civic functions was a major step forward and the Agence Nationale Anti-Corruption was created in the second phase of reforms with the so-called Sapin 2 law adopted last December. It makes corruption easier to detect and toughens up the penalties.
Aimed to replace the old Service Central de Prévention de la Corruption, it will have more powers to set up anti- corruption programmes for businesses employing more than 500 with annual turnover of more than €100 million.
It will also have powers over bribery in foreign countries and by foreign agents and gives special protection to whistleblowers, who can no longer be sacked for passing information to the Autorité des Marchés Financiers.
Marseille judge Charles Duchaine, a finance specialist involved in seizing criminal assets, is due to be named head of the agency.
Ms Foucraut said: “A lot of positive steps have been taken but there remains work to be done.”
TIF has asked all candidates in next month’s presidential elections to commit to 11 actions, including publishing parliamentary expenses, checking ministers’ and top civil servants’ tax records, banning people from holding more than one elected office, and making local and regional councils set up anti-corruption programmes.
Ms Foucraut added: “We would also like more strict regulation of lobbying. The whole attitude and culture towards corruption has to change. People want their leaders to obey the rules.”
Transparency International was set up in 1993 to expose and get rid of corruption. “We raise awareness, as well as lobby for systems which increase transparency and punish corruption,” said their spokesperson.
MPs want more pay... to stay clean
INCREASING MPs’ pay is the only way to beat corruption say some politicians, with Les Républicains MP Hervé Mariton, of Drôme, pointing to Italian MPs, who get the highest salaries in the EU, but he did not say if they were the least corrupt.
Ile-de-France councillor and ex-MP Julien Dray backed him, saying: “To prevent corruption, MPs need at least €9,000 a month [up from €5,500 a month].”
Italian MPs get €125,000 a year, Germany €109,000, UK €88,700 and Belgium €86,000. French MPs get €85,000, which to people on €2,225/month average pay or €1,149.07 Smic minimum does not sound poverty stricken.
Especially as they also get almost the same again in expenses (so they already get €9,000 gross a month) plus free chauffeur-driven cars and taxis, first class train travel, public transport in Paris, office space, postage, and five mobile phone lines.
But Henri Guaino, MP for Yvelines, says his salary is so paltry he cannot even put savings aside each month. “Nothing!” he said. “And we work in deplorable conditions!”
Not all MPs agree. Pyrénées-Atlantiques MP Jean Lassalle said voters might not like MPs giving themselves a pay-rise: “People no longer trust us, but worse, they hate us. And particularly us, the MPs. In the eyes of the French we’ve become useless and expensive.”
Others look at top civil servants, many of whom earn more than €10,000 a month, and say MPs are underpaid.
Long-time Lyon mayor Gérard Collomb, a senator, said since his Sénat pay was capped he had to make do on €4,000 a month – it was capped for not turning up at the Sénat.
Many MPs have other jobs alongside their political careers – they need to be on boards of big companies, work as speakers, consultants and advisors to make ends meet.
Marne MP Charles de Courson said: “Of course, it would be better and would avoid corruption if MPs weren’t doing other jobs to supplement their incomes.”
