Corruption in the United Arab Emirates is perceived as having a relatively clean public sector in comparison with its neighbors. TheUnited Arab Emirates, a federation of territories in an area in thePersian Gulf previously known as theTrucial Coast, was ranked 23rd out of 180 inTransparency International'sCorruption Perceptions Index for 2024.[1] This high placement in the ranking, however, does not mean the UAE is corruption-free. There are persistent corruption cases as demonstrated in recent allegations of corruption in state-owned companies, public procurement, and illicit financial flows into the UAE'sreal estate market, among others.
One of the biggest corruption cases in the UAE was uncovered in 2001 when Dr. Obaid Saqr Busit, the head ofDubai's customs department, was arrested for corrupt practices. Two of his aides and twoPakistani nationals were also implicated after a two-year investigation by the UAE government. The corruption charge involved abuse of power to illegally accumulate wealth.[2] This scandal was particularly notable not only because of the seniority of the accused but also due to the hands-on approach on the case adopted by the ruler of Dubai, SheikhMohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. He was identified as one of the instigators of the investigation.[3]
Corruption in the UAE's state-owned companies has also been a source of concern, particularly in the energy and financial sectors. In 2008, for example, former executives ofTamweel, a Dubai-controlled mortgage provider were arrested for graft and financial irregularities while in office. The corruption had cost the company more than $12 million.[4] In the same year, high-ranking officials ofDubai Islamic Bank, one of the world's oldestShariah-compliant institutions were also implicated in financial irregularities atDeyaar, the bank's real estate subsidiary.[5] One of these officials, Saad Abdul Razak, has left the company and was then working for Investment Corporation of Dubai (ICD), the emirate's holding company for state-owned assets, during the arrest. The strong influence of high-ranking officials on state-owned enterprises has been blamed for the latter's susceptibility to corrupt practices.[5] There are observers who also attribute this type of corruption to poorly paid bureaucrats at the municipal level, who had to augment their income with unofficial tips.[6]
There are also occasional incidents ofbribery,nepotism, andembezzlement, and abuse of power at the local level.[citation needed] This is demonstrated by cases of government contracts awarded to companies with close ties to local officials. These projects had been flagged for inflated costs, substandard work, and mismanagement.[7]
The UAE government has adopted azero-tolerance policy for corruption both in the public and private sectors. This policy, among other anti-corruption measures, was introduced as part of a concerted effort amongGulf countries to address corruption after theArab Spring.[8] The UAE created the UAE Accountability Authority (UAEAA), which is tasked to protect public funds, ensuring its lawful allocation and spending.[9] This agency augmented the Anti-Corruption Unit, an agency within the Defense Ministry tasked with investigating corruption cases within the public sector.[10] UAEAA is also mandated to facilitate the implementation of theUnited NationsConvention Against Corruption. Aside from the UAEAA, the UAE also passed various laws that promote accountability. The country's Supreme Audit Institution, for example, was restructured by the Federal Law No. 8 of 2011. This update empowered the agency to detect and prevent financial corruption.[11]
The legal framework that addresses corruption includes the UAE Penal Code, which provides severe punishment for public officials who are found guilty of corrupt practices. While bribery, for example, is not specifically defined in the penal code, it is criminalized in Articles 234 to 239 and is treated the same under the respective penal codes of some of the individual emirates. In 2021, this law was updated with the introduction of the New UAE Federal Penal Code, which contains the Federal Law No. 31 of 2021 – as amended through the Law No. 36 of 2022. This is the main legislation that addresses bribery and corruption.[12] The UAE also has an anti-money laundering law, which was ratified in May 2002. This legislation has created a culture of reporting obligations on the part of financial institutions. The law also authorized the Central Bank to freeze suspected accounts without prior legal authorization.[7]
The impact of the anti-corruption measures has had some level of success. However, there are still key challenges. For example, while the legal framework can serve as a deterrent for corrupt practices, there is still the issue of transparency. Access to information about business and political practices is very limited due to severecensorship in the country. Its adverse impact is seen in the case of public procurement, which has been tagged as a sector that has a higher risk of corruption stemming from the tendency for public and private affairs to overlap.[13] The recent boom in the real estate industry has also created loopholes in the country’s anti-money laundering law, which has already been flagged for its slow implementation.[7]
In 2012, theWorld Bank Governance Indicators, ranked the UAE 35th and 36th out of 215 economies in terms of government effectiveness and culture of corruption, respectively.[14]
In Transparency International's 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index, the UAE scored 68 on a scale from 0 ("highly corrupt") to 100 ("very clean"). When ranked by score, the UAE ranked 23rd among the 180 countries in the Index, where the country ranked first is perceived to have the most honest public sector.[15] For comparison with regional scores, the average score among Middle Eastern and North African countries[Note 1] was 39. The UAE had the best score in the region, 68, and the worst score was 12.[16] For comparison with worldwide scores, the average score was 43, the best score was 90 (ranked 1), and the worst score was 8 (ranked 180).[17]
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