Dili – Today (24/2) Comissão Anti Corrupção (CAC), in cooperation with the Millennium Challenges Corporation-United States Aid to International Development (MCC/USAID) Anti-Corruption Program Fostering Transparency Initiative (FOTI) Timor-Leste launched two new manuals on preventing corruption in Timor-Leste: Módulu sira ba Formasaun: Konseitu no Abilidade iha Korrupsaun Prevensaun and Manuál ba Formasaun: Abilidade iha Prevensaun Korrupsaun ba Aprovizionamentu Sectór Públiku nian.

The manuals are a source of advice on how to manage corruption risks, such as conflicts of interest and sensitive areas of procurement, and will be used to train civil servants across government, as well as NGOs and the private sector.

One manual focuses on preventing corruption procurement, and one focuses on technical aspects of corruption risk management.  Both manuals are 100 percent in Tetun and were extensively tested and developed in collaboration with staff from CAC’s Prevention Directorate.

CAC’s Prevention Directorate staff will use the manuals to train managers and civil servants, and as a source of advice on reducing corruption risks in line ministries.

In a short ceremony earlier today Eduardo Flores-Trejo, FOTI Timor-Leste Director, and Michael Nest, advisor, handed over the manuals to Adérito Soares, CAC Commissioner.

Commissioner Soares and John Seong, Director of USAID/Timor Leste, also distributed at today’s event certificates for CAC staff who attended a two-day workshop funded by FOTI Timor-Leste on investigating and preventing corruption in procurement.  Procurement is the most important area of Government expenditure in Timor-Leste.

This event also marked “CAC First Monthly Forum”, presented by Prevention Staffs. This Forum is aimed to invite the experts and practitioners in anti-corruption to discuss various issues on corruption and ways to tackle it. (*)