Personnel Risk:

Critical

Score:

16.1/100

Leadership Behaviour

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Q34 8/100

Do the Defence Ministry, Defence Minister, Chiefs of Defence, and Single Service Chiefs publicly commit, through, for example, speeches, media interviews, or political mandates, to anti-corruption and integrity measures?

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Chiefs/Ministers: Internal communications Score: 0 / 100
According to interviewees, corruption is not seen as a strategic issue in the army or the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and, therefore, there are…
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Chiefs/Ministers: Public commitment Score: 0 / 100
There have been no speeches in the last few years concerning corruption from the chief of the army or the minister of defence [1,…
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Unit commanders and leaders Score: 25 / 100
There are no statements concerning corruption by senior staff, commanders, or the minister [1, 2, 3]. However, there are some speeches and talks by…
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Q35 38/100

Are there effective measures in place for personnel found to have taken part in forms of bribery and corruption, and is there evidence that these measures are being carried out?

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Sanctions Score: 50 / 100
According to the Bahraini Military Forces Law, personnel are forbidden from engaging in corrupt activities such as bribery (receiving bribes), and receiving gifts, or…
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Enforcement Score: 25 / 100
According to interviewees, there is a clear failure to apply the law, and in many cases, reported allegations are superficially investigated with no outcome…
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Q36 0/100

Is whistleblowing encouraged by the government, and are whistle-blowers in military and defence ministries afforded adequate protection from reprisal for reporting evidence of corruption, in both law and practice?

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Legal provisions Score: 0 / 100
There is no legal framework that encourages whistleblowing and provides or promises protection for such individuals. It has not been communicated at any level…
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Prioritisation Score: 0 / 100
There is no guidance, training, or communication on reporting corruption and whistleblowing. Additionally, there are no units that can communicate and encourage whistleblowing [1,…
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Effectiveness Score: 0 / 100
Sources state that the sectarian division, loyalists and non-loyalist, foreign personnel, all play roles in creating minimal trust between staff, and senior and junior…
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Q37 0/100

Is special attention paid to the selection, time in post, and oversight of personnel in sensitive positions, including officials and personnel in defence procurement, contracting, financial management, and commercial management?

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Coverage of sensitive (higher-risk) positions Score: 0 / 100
Sensitive positions are given as gifts to someone by the king or from a person being loyal to the King Hamad bin Isa bin…
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Selection process Score: NA / 100
Given the lack of procedures as outlined in 37A, and the lack of recognition that there may be corruption risks associated with particular positions,…
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Oversight Score: NA / 100
Given the lack of procedures as outlined in 37A, and the lack of recognition that there may be corruption risks associated with particular positions,…
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Payroll, Promotions, Appointments, Rewards

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Q38 33/100

Is the number of civilian and military personnel accurately known and publicly available?

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Accuracy Score: 0 / 100
There are no accurate official numbers of military personnel [1, 2, 3]. There are some external news reports about the numbers of the personnel,…
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Transparency Score: 0 / 100
There are no official statements or details on the number of military personnel. This is considered confidential information, and not to be shared, given…
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Ghost soldiers Score: 100 / 100
There have not been any problems reported concerning ghost soldiers [1, 2]. It has never been an issue given the small size of the…
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Q39 0/100

Are pay rates and allowances for civilian and military personnel openly published?

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Pay rates Score: 0 / 100
There are no details on the rate and amount of allowances [1, 2]. An extensive search on the internet of laws, websites, and possible…
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Allowances Score: 0 / 100
Based on sources and interviews conducted, there is no data available. Researchers and journalists struggle to find information available online. Sources state that there…
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Q40 67/100

Do personnel receive the correct pay on time, and is the system of payment well-established, routine, and published?

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Timeliness Score: 100 / 100
According to interviews, military personnel receive payments on time, and delays, if there are any, are one to three days [1, 2, 3].
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Accuracy Score: 100 / 100
Military and civilian personnel receive the correct payment at the right time [1, 2, 3].
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Transparency Score: 0 / 100
There is no data available on payments. There are is no published or publicly available information on the payment and salary systems of the…
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Q41 8/100

Is there an established, independent, transparent, and objective appointment system for the selection of military personnel at middle and top management level?

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Formal process Score: 25 / 100
Appointments lack an accurate description, and the selection criterion is vague. The committees that are usually formed by the commanders lack objective standards when…
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Scrutiny Score: 0 / 100
There is no internal or external scrutiny of new appointments or promotions within the ranks of Bahrain’s Defence Force. This applies to both higher…
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Transparency Score: 0 / 100
There is no information available on the promotion process. Names are only published when the promotions occur (mainly high-ranking officers) [1, 2, 3].
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Q42 8/100

Are personnel promoted through an objective, meritocratic process? Such a process would include promotion boards outside of the command chain, strong formal appraisal processes, and independent oversight.

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Formal process Score: 25 / 100
There is a formal process of promotion, but the very top echelon and medium level positions are usually promoted through a royal decree. Loyalty…
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Exceptions Score: 0 / 100
As the promotions pass through royal decrees, there is no other power or authority can affect these royal decrees [1, 2, 3].
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Comprehensiveness Score: 0 / 100
Based on interviews and an online search, there is no information about postings or the promotion cycle. Interviewees state there is no information about…
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Frequency Score: NA / 100
As outlined in 42C, there is no information available on the cycle and process of promotion(s), and therefore this indicator has been marked ‘Not…
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Conscription and Recruitment

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Q43 NA/100

Where compulsory conscription occurs, is there a policy of not accepting bribes for avoiding conscription? Are there appropriate procedures in place to deal with such bribery, and are they applied?

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Policy Score: NA / 100
There is no compulsory conscription in Bahrain [1, 2]. As such, this indicator has been marked ‘Not Applicable’.
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Sanctions Score: NA / 100
There is no compulsory conscription in Bahrain [1, 2]. As such, this indicator has been marked ‘Not Applicable’.
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Enforcement Score: NA / 100
There is no compulsory conscription in Bahrain [1, 2]. As such, this indicator has been marked ‘Not Applicable’.
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Q44 38/100

is there a policy of refusing bribes to gain preferred postings? Are there appropriate procedures in place to deal with such bribery, and are they applied?

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Policy Score: 50 / 100
According to the Personnel Military Law (Article 45-G), bribery and gifts to provide services or give advantages are considered a crime; however, no sanctions…
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Sanctions Score: 25 / 100
There are sanctions for bribery, including imprisonment, but these are not clearly defined in the law. As no case of bribery has been made…
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Enforcement Score: NA / 100
As explained in 44A and 44B, although there is a vague threat of imprisonment, this sanction is not clearly outlined in either the Military…
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Salary Chain

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Q45 0/100

Are chains of command separate from chains of payment?

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Score: 0 / 100
The chain of commanders is not separate from the chain of payment. A commander can affect the payment of a soldier or personnel under…
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Values and Standards

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Q46 6/100

Is there a Code of Conduct for all military personnel that includes, but is not limited to, guidance with respect to bribery, gifts and hospitality, conflicts of interest, and post-separation activities? Is there evidence that breaches of the Code of Conduct are effectively addressed?

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Code of conduct Score: 25 / 100
According to interviewees, there is a code of conduct. However, it is not available and unknown to most military personnel. There is also evidence…
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Transparency Score: 0 / 100
The vast majority of the military personnel do not know the code of conduct, or it is not available for them [1, 2]. There…
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Enforcement Score: 0 / 100
Since the code of conduct not available for the public and or to most personel, it is not possible to assess its credibility or…
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Training Score: 0 / 100
There is no guidance at all concerning the code of conduct expected during the graduation ceremony and the verbal code of conduct is narrated…
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Q47 19/100

Is there a Code of Conduct for all civilian personnel that includes, but is not limited to, guidance with respect to bribery, gifts and hospitality, conflicts of interest, and post-separation activities? Is there evidence that breaches of the Code of Conduct are effectively addressed?

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Code of conduct Score: 50 / 100
There is a Bahraini Code of Employee Conduct and Ethics of the Public Position for all civilian employees is available online on many ministerial…
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Transparency Score: 25 / 100
The Code of Employee Conduct and Ethics of the Public Position exists, and it is widely available online, but not at departments, it is…
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Enforcement Score: 0 / 100
The Code of Employee Conduct and Ethics of the Public Position exists has no credibility as it is not supported or enforced. As one…
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Training Score: 0 / 100
There are no guidelines or similar training on the Code of Employee Conduct and Ethics of the Public Position and its application for civilian…
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Q48 0/100

Does regular anti-corruption training take place for military and civilian personnel?

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Comprehensiveness Score: 0 / 100
There is no anti-corruption training within the military, or for civilian personnel who work within the Ministry of Defence (MoD) [1, 2, 3, 4].
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Regularity Score: NA / 100
As outlined in 48A, there are no anti-corruption training within the MoD or Bahrain’s Defence Force [1, 2, 3, 4]. This indicator has therefore…
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Coverage of personnel Score: NA / 100
As outlined in 48A, there are no anti-corruption training within the MoD or Bahrain’s Defence Force [1, 2, 3, 4]. This indicator has therefore…
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Q49 0/100

Is there a policy to make public outcomes of the prosecution of defence services personnel for corrupt activities, and is there evidence of effective prosecutions in recent years?

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Policy Score: 0 / 100
There is no legal framework or policy that requires judicial institutions to make the outcomes of prosecutions public. There has not been any public…
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Transparency Score: 0 / 100
There is no public information available on the outcomes of prosecutions, especially military personnel prosecutions, as they are considered highly confidential [1, 2, 3].
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Effectiveness Score: 0 / 100
In many cases, there is evidence of corruption or misconduct, but the military fails to investigate or even conduct a trial at any level.…
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Q50 33/100

Are there effective measures in place to discourage facilitation payments (which are illegal in almost all countries)?

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Legal framework Score: 50 / 100
Article 45-G of the Armed Forces Law discriminates and prohibits receiving gifts to facilitate services [1]. The law, however, is not clear about facilitation…
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Enforcement Score: 0 / 100
Facilitation payments and these types of activities are not investigated well [1, 2]. An extensive online and offline search found no information about enforcement…
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Prevalence Score: 50 / 100
There are a number of incidents of facilitation payments; according to sources, there may be a dozen incidents per year [1, 2].
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