BERLIN (Reuters) - Iraq, racked by violence since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion, and impoverished Haiti, Myanmar and Guinea are ranked as the most corrupt countries in the world in a new survey.

Berlin-based corruption watchdog Transparency International (TI) ranks 163 countries based on perceived levels of corruption among public officials and politicians in its 2006 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI).

"This survey suggests that corruption in Iraq is very bad," TI Chief Executive David Nussbaum told Reuters.

"When you have high levels of violence, not only does security break down, but so do checks and balances, law enforcement and the functioning of institutions like the judiciary and legislature. If all that is under strain the very system that works to prevent corruption is undermined."

Iraq has suffered rising sectarian violence and bloodshed since the invasion, heaping pressure on U.S. President George W. Bush ahead of congressional elections on Tuesday.

Nussbaum pointed to U.S. engineering giant Bechtel Corp's decision last week to pull out of Iraq as a sign of how bad the security situation had become. Fifty-two Bechtel employees have been killed in Iraq since 2003.

To quote the Daoist Sage Julian Cleary.... quelle surprise!