RADIO FREE EUROPE/RADIO LIBERTY, PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC
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RFE/RL NEWSLINE 27 October 1999

CORRUPTION IN POLAND REPORTED TO BE INCREASING. According to
Transparency International's annual index (see above), the
level of corruption in Poland is increasing, Polish media
reported on 26 October. The survey puts Poland in 44th place,
between Mongolia and Brazil. Jacek Leski, deputy head of TI
Poland, said that corruption in Poland is prevalent at all
administrative levels, in the parliament, and in the legal
system. "The root of Poland's corruption and the most
difficult problem still to be solved is the mechanism of
financing political parties and politicians," Reuters quoted
Leski as saying. Slovenia ranked 25th, suggesting that it is
the least corrupt country from Eastern Europe. Estonia ranked
27th, Hungary 31st, and the Czech Republic 39th. JM

HUNGARIAN INTERNAL SECURITY HEAD RESIGNS. Minister of
Interior Sandor Pinter on 26 October "temporarily" accepted
the resignation of Laszlo Gal, head of the ministry's
internal security office. Gal had requested that his
resignation be valid as long as the investigation continues
into alleged police involvement in illegal oil dealings in
Bekes County. Gal was the head of the Bekes county police
until July 1998 and his name was repeatedly mentioned in
recent media coverage of illegal oil dealings. He said he
resigned in order to avoid speculation that he might obstruct
the ongoing investigation. MSZ 

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