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226 Diagnosing Corruption in Ethiopia
members might be a good idea, but the government’s relationship with
the major organization, the Ethiopian Bar Association, has been fraught
with problems.
A relatively gray area involves other officers of the court (enforcement
officials, expert witnesses, and those involved in evaluating and
auctioning assets), and it probably requires more investigation. None of
those interviewed mentioned this spontaneously, but when judges were
asked, they admitted it could be a problem. As revealed in studies elsewhere,
the lack of attention is universal despite the vast opportunities for
abuses, even in the more-developed regions (for example, see Henderson
et al. 2004).
Unfortunately, this generally positive situation relative to the rest of
Africa is not fully appreciated by citizens. Although recent surveys suggest
that citizens do not see the courts as the worst offenders (Transparency
International 2007; APAP 2001), the public also seems unaware of agencies’
efforts to do better.
Recommendations
One universal problem with citizen perceptions of corruption or, for that
matter, of other sector vices is that they lack a basis for comparison. At
best, citizens can compare current conditions with the situation ex ante
in their own country, but rarely can they contrast it with even neighboring
nations. 25
It is the conclusion of this report that justice sector corruption, while
not nonexistent in Ethiopia, is at relatively lower levels than in many
comparator countries. However, because most citizens do not have contact
with the sector (or if they do, have at most one experience, and
moreover may be more influenced by a few recent scandals), their basis
even for assessing recent developments is limited. Furthermore, citizen
mistrust and the government’s own lack of transparency may encourage
the belief that corruption is happening behind the scenes.
More important, Ethiopia’s sector reform programs have not focused
on corruption, preferring to emphasize increased access, improvements to
the quality of personnel, and efficiency. The lack of emphasis on corruption
is understandable because (a) it arguably is not the principal problem,
and (b) it is a negative goal (and does require admitting a problem
that agencies may prefer not to recognize for a variety of reasons).
However, without discounting the other objectives, it may be time for the
sector to take a more decisive stance against this vice and so address