Slovenia ranks 37th among 176 countries in the 2012 Corruption Perceptions Index compiled by the Berlin-based NGO Transparency International (TI). Simona Habič of the Slovenian branch of the TI, Integriteta, told the press on Wednesday that this was a bad result.

Slovenia got 61 out of 100 points in the index, with the top ranking countries Denmark, Finland and New Zealand scoring 90 points. The index however only shows corruption in the public sector, Habič noted.

She stressed that only scores and not rankings of countries were comparable due to differing numbers of cooperating state each year. Habič also noted that this year's index was not comparable to previous years, as the NGO had changed its methodology.

Integriteta expects that politicians as well as the government will respond to the low score and accept the responsibility for their actions.

Similarly, the Commission for Prevention of Corruption said in a press release that corruption was a bigger problem than "we are willing to admit" and it was past time something was done to address it.

The commission moreover said that the fact that officials, "including and foremost the PM and the Ljubljana mayor and leader of the biggest opposition party" were involved in criminal proceedings was harmful to "the credibility of politics".

The bottom of TI's list is rounded off by Afghanistan, North Korea and Somalia, each with eight points.