Brazilian construction company Odebrecht’s admission in 2016 that it had bribed
public officials across Latin America over a decade to secure contracts led to the
jailing of more than 130 officials and business people in Brazil by November 2018.
Even incumbent and former presidents have fallen as a result of the scandal.
The public has become increasingly disenchanted with democratic politics, as
governments are perceived to be self-serving and corrupt.
Despite the progress made over the last two years, the region still has a long way to go, as without effective implementation even the best anti-corruption legal and institutional frameworks will fail to increase transparency and accountability.