Corruption in the UK public sector has nearly quadrupled from £5.5bn in financial periods 2018-2019 and 2019-20 to £21bn in 2020-21 and 2021-22. This is stated in the report of the National Audit Office (NAO).

“The number of fraudulent plans in the annual reports we review has increased significantly,” NAO chief Gareth Davis told Reuters.

According to auditors, £7.3 billion ended up in the pockets of officials as a result of loans to private companies to deal with the consequences of COVID-19.

What’s more, the real figure could be even higher: in fiscal year 2020-21, the Public Sector Fraud Office found a budget deficit of around £58.8bn, excluding pandemic-related spending.

UK Treasury Secretary Jeremy Hunt, responding to the results of the audit, stressed that the fight against corruption in the provision of state aid to business is one of the most important areas of public policy.

The UK’s ranking on Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index fell sharply last year, which the NGO attributed to “a recent decline in the level of governance and control over the use of taxpayer money.”

Deputy Labor Opposition Leader Angela Rayner said that “the current government is completely neglecting its duty to fight this kind of crime.”

Source: Reuters.