TURKMENISTAN: BRIBERY IS PERVASIVE IN GOVERNMENT

UNCLAS ASHGABAT 000233 SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR SCA/CEN; EEB COMMERCE FOR EHOUSE/DSTARKS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ECON EIND ETRD PGOV SOCI TX SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN: BRIBERY IS PERVASIVE IN GOVERNMENT SERVICES ¶1. (U) Sensitive but unclassified. Not for public Internet. ¶2. (SBU) SUMMARY: Bribery is pervasive throughout Turkmenistan's government, to the extent that the public expects to pay bribes during almost any interaction with the government. Turkmen routinely pay bribes when obtaining a driver's license, during stops by the traffic police, registering children for school or university, and registering a business. Despite the prevalence and openness of such corruption, higher levels within the Turkmen government have neither publicly recognized nor taken action to tackle the problem. END SUMMARY. ¶3. (SBU) Owning and driving a car necessarily involves citizen contact with government officials, often tainted by corruption. An Embassy contact formerly worked as a driving school instructor. He charged $250 for driving lessons and a guaranteed driver's license. The fee included an eye exam certificate and passing scores on both the written and the practical driving tests. In 2009, traffic police, who administer the driving tests, introduced a computerized testing system intended to prevent fraud in the testing process. The new system was meant to address the worsening congestion and increased number of accidents by insuring more qualified drivers. Rather than eliminating corruption, the new system increased the cost of bribes to between $500-1500, thereby reducing the number of unqualified drivers who could afford to buy a license. ¶4. (SBU) Traffic stops are also bribery-ridden. Drivers themselves are often complicit, paying bribes in order to avoid official fines and possible legal consequences. Running a red light can lead to a fine of $100, or even to a loss of one's license. Many drivers pay up to $50 on the spot to avoid the hassle of court proceedings. To avoid a charge of drunk driving, drivers pay a bribe of $150-200. To avoid a speeding ticket, drivers pay from $5-30. The installation of traffic cameras that detect speeding and process fines automatically have decreased people's interactions with traffic police, reducing the number of opportunities for bribery. However, traffic police still set up traps for drivers, frequently at confusing intersections, where they can cite them for not yielding to another car or other hard to refute alleged violations. ¶5. (SBU) Even though Turkmen citizens are supposed to receive free education, many believe they will only get a good education if they pay bribes. Turkmen parents usually pay the $500-1,000 bribes that public school principals demand for admission. The prestigious schools, such as the Pushkin Russian-Turkmen School and Ashgabat's School Number 7, which specializes in English language, demand $6,000-15,000 for admission. In 2009, the niece of an Embassy employee was admitted to the Spanish Department at the State World Languages Institute without paying a bribe because the institute had undergone an audit that year. However, none of her friends believed that she was admitted without paying. ¶6. (SBU) Private companies also pay bribes to various government agencies for a range of services from registration to obtaining certificates for import. For instance, a private lawyer told Embassy economic assistant that it takes $6,000- 10,000 to register a business. An import certificate may cost $100-150 per truckload of goods. Entrepreneurs often pay $1,000-5,000 in bribes to obtain the certificate need to operate industrial equipment. ¶7. (SBU) COMMENT: Currently, the leaders of law enforcement and other government agencies do little to combat corruption. President Berdimuhamedov has never publicly talked about anti- corruption measures. Addressing rampant corruption would require political will, independent inspectors, and accountability for violators, as well as an end to the public's complicity in the problem. At present, however, the Turkmen government does not appear to recognize the burden that corruption places upon its population, instead being satisfied with maintaining the status quo. END COMMENT. CURRAN