A total of 60 countries scored less than three out of 10, indicating rampant corruption, said the Germany-based watchdog with corruption "perceived to be most acute" in Nigeria, Azerbaijan, Chad, Bangladesh and Myanmar, as well as Paraguay and Haiti, all of which have a score of less than two.

"Corruption robs countries of their potential," said Peter Eigen, TI's chairman.

"As the Corruption Perceptions Index 2004 shows, oil-rich Angola, Azerbaijan, Chad, Ecuador, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Libya, Nigeria, Russia, Sudan, Venezuela and Yemen all have extremely low scores.

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