South Korean tech behemoth Samsung Electronics Co. has ranked 97th out of 124 multinational corporations worldwide in terms of transparency, a report by Transparency International showed Wednesday.
   
The world's largest smartphone maker earned an average of 2.9 points in three transparency categories -- reporting on anti-corruption programs, organizational transparency and country-by-country reporting -- with 10 points assigned to each.
   
Eni, an Italian oil and gas company, topped the list with an average of 7.3 points, followed by British telecommunications firm Vodafone with 6.7 points. Norwegian oil and gas company Statoil was third with 6.6 points, according to the report by the Berlin-based anti-corruption watchdog.
   
The report covered the 124 transnationals that were included on Forbes Magazine's lists of the world's top 100 public companies in 2012 and 2013. Samsung was the only South Korean firm to make the list.
  
"As the South Korean economy becomes bigger, the anti-corruption programs of its companies have greater influence on other countries," the South Korean branch of Transparency International said in a release. "Therefore, South Korean companies should strive to improve their corporate transparency so it matches their international stature." (Yonhap)