Bribes paid to Greek officials last year rose by €50 million to €790 million, Transparency International’s Greek office said on Thursday, noting that the increase was mainly attributable to illicit transactions in the private sector.

Corruption is thriving in Greece’s public and private sectors, with staff at hospitals, tax offices and town-planning offices among the worst offenders, the corruption watchdog said, citing a survey carried out for its Greek office by polling firm Public Issue. In the state sector, hospitals accounted for 33.5 per cent of bribes taken, with tax offices and local authority services accounting for 15.7 and 15.9 per cent respectively, according to the survey of 6,122 people. Banks and lawyers are next on the list with 10.8 per cent and nine per cent of cases. The average bribe in the state sector was €1,355 and in the private sector €1,671, according to the survey.

The report also showed that the overwhelming majority of Greeks, 98 per cent, believed that enforcing laws is the best way to crack down on graft. A similarly large majority, 96 per cent, said they want to see bribe takers punished. Last November, Greece was ranked at the bottom of a list of 27 member states of the European Union on Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index for 2008. The index awarded Greece a score of 3.8 where 10 indicates “highly clean” and 0 indicates “highly corrupt”. The rating was equal to that of Bulgaria, and below non-EU countries such as Botswana and Tunisia.