Corruption is 'rampant' (or 'systemic') in Venezuela,141 affecting all levels of government.142 Transparency International reported that the progressive erosion of democratic checks and balances has left Venezuela among the world’s most corrupt countries.143 In its 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI),144 Venezuela ranked 180 out of 182 countries in perceived public‑sector corruption, ahead only of Somalia (181st) and South Sudan (182nd).145 A survey conducted by AtlasIntel and Bloomberg found that corruption is viewed as the country’s most serious problem (59 % of respondents), followed by the undermining of democracy (37.3 %), poverty and unemployment (27.2 %), and issues within the justice system (23.8 %).146 Criminality (6.4 %), authoritarianism (5.2 %), and migration (4 %) were among the least frequently cited concerns.147
Sources indicated that economic policies such as currency and price controls created strong incentives for black‑market activity and collusion between state officials and organised crime.148 Corruption is also widespread within the security and armed forces.149 Customs operations in border regions, for example, are described as a 'significant source of corruption', involving military officials, including generals, who compete among themselves for control of lucrative illicit schemes.150 These schemes typically involved clearing only a portion of imported goods through official channels while charging a 'fee' on the undeclared remainder.151 Widespread corruption has also undermined the state's capacity to deliver essential goods and services to the population.152 Transparencia Venezuela reported that extortion tied to paperwork, documents, and basic administrative services has become a normalised part of daily life in Venezuela; citizens routinely face demands for payment from public officials for administrative procedures, registry and notary-related documents, and essential services such as healthcare.153 Examples of extortion reported by Transparencia Venezuela included the payment of 1 000 USD to repair an energy distribution transformer, processing of an application in exchange for food or lunches, payments ranging from 100 to 300 USD to book appointments with medical specialists and, in the case for some women, performing of sexual acts in exchange for not being fined, punished, or neglected in specific situations.154
Cases of corruption are rarely prosecuted or punished in Venezuela, particularly when they involve individuals aligned with the ruling coalition or party.155 Enforcement of anti‑corruption regulations is minimal.156 Anti‑corruption efforts are often 'performative,' aimed at projecting a positive image,157 or to eliminate internal rivals, protect loyalists, and consolidate power within the ruling party.158 High‑level corruption cases, especially those tied to PDVSA, rarely resulted in meaningful prosecution, with investigations typically limited to lower‑ranking officials.159 Between 2023 and 2024, the government detained over 40 public officials, including high-ranking officials, businesspeople, mayors, regional officials, and military officers, on corruption charges.160 Former minister and vice‑president Tareck El Aissami, for example, was arrested in April 2024 and accused of orchestrating a large‑scale corruption scheme within PDVSA;161 his detention was widely described as part of an internal purge within the ruling party.162 In September 2025, more than 14 members of the judiciary were arrested for alleged corruption, though observers indicated that these arrests were also part of a broader purge of the judicial system carried out by the Maduro government.163 Additional information on these cases could not be found among the sources consulted within the time constraints of this report.
The Anti-Corruption Law established the National Anti-Corruption Corps (CNCC, Cuerpo Nacional Contra la Corrupción), an entity that reports directly to the President; however, no public information about the CNCC has been released since 2015.164 The Office of the Comptroller General (CGR, Contraloría General de la República Bolivariana de Venezuela), which manages the electronic system for senior officials’ asset declarations, is also responsible for investigating corruption.165 The CGR, however, lacks independence166 and, according to the UNCAC Coalition,167 it has not published audit statements, reports, or sanction lists since 2018.168 The National Assembly, dominated by the ruling coalition, has not provided meaningful oversight or acted as an independent check on executive power.169
Independent journalists,170 opposition politicians, and activists who exposed corruption are routinely harassed, detained,171 or pushed into exile.172 Investigative reporting on government abuses often triggers state retaliation, including censorship, legal intimidation, and the closure of media outlets.173
- 141
Freedom House, Freedom in the World 2026, Venezuela, March 2026, url; Bertelsmann Stiftung, BTI 2026 Country Report — Venezuela, 2026, url, p. 12
- 142
Bertelsmann Stiftung, BTI 2026 Country Report — Venezuela, 2026, url, p. 12; Dialogue (The), Navigating Corruption: Implications for Venezuela’s Future, 18 June 2024, url
- 143
Transparency International, Prioritize rebuilding democracy in Venezuela to fight entrenched corruption, 8 January 2026, url
- 144
Transparency International indicated that the CPI is calculated based on 'at least 3 data sources drawn from 13 different corruption surveys and assessments. These data sources are collected by a variety of reputable institutions, including the World Bank and the World Economic Forum. CPI scores do not reflect the views of Transparency International or our staff.' Transparency International, The ABCs of the CPI: How the Corruption Perceptions Index is calculated, 11 February 2025, url
- 145
Transparency International, 2025 Corruption Perception Index: Venezuela, 10 February 2026, url
- 146
AtlasIntel and Bloomberg, Latam Pulse Venezuela, March 2026, url, p. 24
- 147
AtlasIntel and Bloomberg, Latam Pulse Venezuela, March 2026, url, p. 24
- 148
Freedom House, Freedom in the World 2026, Venezuela, March 2026, url. See also: USDOS, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2023: Venezuela, 22 April 2024, url
- 149
USDOS, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2023: Venezuela, 22 April 2024, url; Transparencia Venezuela, The faces of extortion in Venezuela 2024, 2025, url, p. 16
- 150
Infobae, Corrupción en Venezuela: cuatro generales se pelean el control de una aduana fronteriza donde se manejan cobros ilegales, 15 March 2026, url; Transparencia Venezuela, The faces of extortion in Venezuela 2024, March 2025, url, p. 11
- 151
Infobae, Corrupción en Venezuela: cuatro generales se pelean el control de una aduana fronteriza donde se manejan cobros ilegales, 15 March 2026, url; Transparencia Venezuela, The faces of extortion in Venezuela 2024, March 2025, url, p. 11
- 152
Bertelsmann Stiftung, BTI 2026 Country Report — Venezuela, 2026, url, p. 34; DW, La profunda crisis de la Administración Pública venezolana, 13 October 2023, url
- 153
Transparencia Venezuela, The faces of extortion in Venezuela 2024, March 2025, url, pp. 30-31
- 154
Transparencia Venezuela, The faces of extortion in Venezuela 2024, March 2025, url, pp. 30-31
- 155
Bertelsmann Stiftung, BTI 2026 Country Report — Venezuela, 2026, url, p. 12. See also: Agencia EFE, Detienen a Tareck El Aissami, el 'exzar' del petróleo de Venezuela y fiel aliado de Maduro, 10 April 2024, url
- 156
Bertelsmann Stiftung, BTI 2026 Country Report — Venezuela, 2026, url, p. 35; USDOS, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2023: Venezuela, 22 April 2024, url
- 157
Bertelsmann Stiftung, BTI 2026 Country Report — Venezuela, 2026, url, p. 12; InSight Crime, Are Arrests of Venezuela Officials Simply For Show?, 3 February 2022, url
- 158
Bertelsmann Stiftung, BTI 2026 Country Report — Venezuela, 2026, url, p. 12; InSight Crime, Are Arrests of Venezuela Officials Simply For Show?, 3 February 2022, url
- 159
Bertelsmann Stiftung, BTI 2026 Country Report — Venezuela, 2026, url, p. 12; Dialogue (The), Navigating Corruption: Implications for Venezuela’s Future, 18 June 2024, url
- 160
Bertelsmann Stiftung, BTI 2026 Country Report — Venezuela, 2026, url, pp. 12, 36; Agencia EFE, Detienen a Tareck El Aissami, el 'exzar' del petróleo de Venezuela y fiel aliado de Maduro, 10 April 2024, url
- 161
Bertelsmann Stiftung, BTI 2026 Country Report — Venezuela, 2026, url, pp. 12, 36; Agencia EFE, Detienen a Tareck El Aissami, el 'exzar' del petróleo de Venezuela y fiel aliado de Maduro, 10 April 2024, url
- 162
La Nación, El régimen de Nicolás Maduro ahora va por sus exaliados: detuvo a un poderoso exministro de Petróleo, 9 April 2024, url; SWI swissinfo.ch, Exzar petrolero de Venezuela, un año desaparecido en la niebla de la corrupción, 20 March 2024, url
- 163
Freedom House, Freedom in the World 2026, Venezuela, March 2026, url; DW, Venezuela purga su sistema judicial, 16 September 2025, url
- 164
Transparencia Venezuela et al., Civil society report on the implementation of Chapter II (Prevention) and Chapter V (Asset Recovery) of the United Nations Convention Against Corruption in Venezuela, 3 October 2024, url, p. 8
- 165
Bertelsmann Stiftung, BTI 2026 Country Report — Venezuela, 2026, url, p. 35; Transparencia Venezuela et al., Civil society report on the implementation of Chapter II (Prevention) and Chapter V (Asset Recovery) of the United Nations Convention Against Corruption in Venezuela, 3 October 2024, url, p. 8
- 166
SWI swissinfo.ch, La ley para combatir la corrupción en Venezuela, en entredicho, 11 May 2023, url; Transparencia Venezuela et al., Civil society report on the implementation of Chapter II (Prevention) and Chapter V (Asset Recovery) of the United Nations Convention Against Corruption in Venezuela, 3 October 2024, url, p. 14
- 167
The UNCAC Coalition is 'a global network of almost 400 civil society organizations (CSOs) in over 120 countries, committed to promoting the ratification, implementation and monitoring of the UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC)'. UNCAC Coalition, About the Coalition, n.d., url
- 168
UNCAC Coalition, Venezuela: Informe de la sociedad civil, 7 November 2025, url
- 169
Bertelsmann Stiftung, BTI 2026 Country Report — Venezuela, 2026, url, p. 12; Miami Herald, Amid news of Maduro’s capture, Venezuela grapples with the wreckage he left behind, 3 January 2026, url,
- 170
Freedom House, Freedom in the World 2026, Venezuela, March 2026, url; Bertelsmann Stiftung, BTI 2026 Country Report — Venezuela, 2026, url, p. 12
- 171
Freedom House, Freedom in the World 2026, Venezuela, March 2026, url; Bertelsmann Stiftung, BTI 2026 Country Report — Venezuela, 2026, url, p. 12
- 172
Bertelsmann Stiftung, BTI 2026 Country Report — Venezuela, 2026, url, p. 12
- 173
Bertelsmann Stiftung, BTI 2026 Country Report — Venezuela, 2026, url, p. 12