Comptroller General Clodosvaldo Russián Thursday rejected the latest report released by Transparency International, where Venezuela was ranked among the most corrupt countries in Latin America, and claimed it to be "a smear campaign" against President Hugo Chávez' government, AFP reported.

"This is not the first time this organization lists our country as one of the most corrupt nations in the world," the official said, adding that Transparency International "keeps attacking Venezuela in a systematic way."

In Venezuela, the Comptroller General Office looks after transparency of government procedures.

The 2007 Corruption Perceptions Index ranked Venezuela in the 162th position in a list of 180 countries.

Based on the level of corruption found in public servants and politicians, the index ranges from 10 -for "clean" countries- to 0 -for "corrupt" countries. Venezuela's score was 2.