Individual Corruption

According to the US Department of State 2010, corruption is a problem in the police, and some police officers and gendarmes are known for extorting bribes. Another problem is that the police can act with impunity without being held accountable for corruption.

The police are known to serve warrants if bribed to do so. According to the same source, in cases where a monetary debt is owed, an arrested person is known to be able to resolve the case at the police precinct, where the police will receive a portion of the recovered money.

Furthermore, the US Department of State 2010 reports that the traffic police routinely stop and check vehicle registrations. Some police are known to use these occasions to extort bribes.

Business Corruption

According to the World Bank & IFC Enterprise Surveys 2010, just over half of the surveyed companies pay for security in Mali, while a considerably smaller proportion identify crime, theft and disorder as major constraints to doing business in Mali. Furthermore, figures from the World Economic Forum Global Competitiveness Report 2010-2011 indicate that foreign companies mistrust the police in Mali.

Political Corruption

According to Freedom House 2011, the courts have acted on several cases of police brutality, which has led to convictions of several police officers. The Government of Mali permits human rights monitors to visit prisons, but complicated administrative procedures have made investigations difficult.

Frequency

World Economic Forum: The Global Competitiveness Report 2010-2011:
- Business executives give the reliability of the police services to enforce law and order a score of 3.3 on a 7-point scale (1 being 'cannot be relied upon to enforce law and order' and 7 'can be relied upon to enforce law and order').

The World Bank & IFC: Enterprise Surveys 2010:
- 52% of companies surveyed pay for security in Mali, an increase from 40% in 2007.

- Nearly 17% of the companies surveyed identify crime, theft and disorder as major constraints to doing business. A considerable increase when compared to 5% in the previous survey in 2007.

Afrobarometer: Summary of Results Mali 2008:
- 34%, 23% and 23% of the respondents in this household survey considered some, most or all of the police officers to be corrupt, respectively.

- 2% of the respondents in this household survey report to have often paid a bribe to government officials in order to avoid a problem with the police in 2007.