Russian companies are most engaged in bribery when doing business abroad, Transparency International research says.
      
      The 2008 Bribe Payers Index ranks 22 of the world’s wealthiest and economically dominant countries by the likelihood of their firms to bribe abroad.
      
      The first place is shared by Belgium and Canada with a score of 8.8, signifying that Belgian and Canadian firms are the least likely to engage in bribery when doing business abroad. Netherlands and Switzerland occupy third place in the index, each with a score of 8.7. At the other end of the scale is Russia, coming in last with a score of 5.9, just trailing China (6.5), Mexico (6.6) and India (6.8).
      
      The research conducted by the Russian Public Opinion Foundation in September 2008 indicated that 29% of Russians gave bribes at least once in their life. 44% of those who never did said they would be prepared to consider the possibility. The share of bribers engaged in entrepreneurship was 56%.
      
      Source: www.lenta.ru
      www.transparency.org