Fiji has been listed in Transparency International's authoritative global index of corruption for the first time.
Fiji is ranked in 55th place in the 158 positions on Transparency's Corruption Perception Index, alongside Colombia, Bulgaria and the Seychelles.
Transparency International says the Corruption Perception Index is closely watched internationally by governments, civil society, the business community and, in particular, overseas leaders and foreign investors.
The TI Fiji chairman, Hari Pal Singh, says one of the problems of corruption is that it's largely hidden from public view while acting like a cancer and killing society.
A public finance expert at the USP, Dr Mahendra Reddy, says corruption is rife in Fiji, not just in the public sector but the private sector as well.
