Russian, Chinese Companies Rank Worst on Bribe List

A new survey says companies in Russia and China are among the most likely to pay bribes to win business opportunities abroad.

The report was released Tuesday by a Berlin-based anti-corruption organization, Transparency International. It ranks 22 of the most influential economies based on interviews with business executives from around the world.

Russian firms were rated most likely to engage in bribery, followed by Mexico, China and India.

Companies in Belgium and Canada were least likely to offer bribes. The United States was ranked near the middle of the list - tied with Singapore and France.

The survey says companies looking for public works construction projects are most likely to try to gain influence with public officials. Real estate and oil and gas companies are the next most serious offenders.

Transparency International says it hopes the list encourages governments and companies to increase anti-corruption measures.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.