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Without modern office systems and 2 Author interviews with justice sector professionals in Azerbaijan. Introducing the problem computerised case processing, detection of the inappropriate use of case documents and files is difficult. Poorly trained and low paid court staff are enticed to use their discretionary powers to engage in administrative corruption since there is little accountability for their decisions. In Guatemala, for example, the disappearance of case files is a common source of extortion.

11 12 Comparative analysis of judicial corruption warranted? Is it based on experience of petty bribery in run-of-the-mill legal cases, or on tales of grand corruption in the media? Between June and September 2006, 59,661 people in 62 countries were asked what they thought of the judicial system in their country, whether they or another member of their household had interacted with it in the past year and, if so, had they paid a bribe. Of the 8,263 people who had been in contact with the judicial system recently, 991, more than one in 10, had paid a bribe.

Bar associations, made up of lawyers, can also be catalysts for change. One role of a national bar association is to defend the independence of judges and lobby government to provide the support necessary to ensure their effectiveness. Bar associations are also supposed to enhance the ethics of their members. They should impose sanctions on members who engage in corruption and bring the profession into disrepute. Journalists also have a role to play. ’ page 11) and part of the reason for this is inaccurate reporting.