Dili – Deputy Commissioner of the Anti-Corruption Commission Manuel Bucar yesterday (23/2) officially opened a two-days training on Economic and Financial Crime to more than 20 CAC investigators. The training is funded by United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes (UNODC) at Hotel Timor Dili and delivered by UNODC’s Anti-Corruption Expert, Mr. Antonio de Vivo.

The objective of the training is to improve CAC’s investigators capacity to analyze financial crimes that occur in Timor-Leste. The two-day training is as part of implementation of MoU between UNODC and CAC that signed in August 2014, UNODC presence in Timor-Leste is to support law enforcement agencies in Timor-Leste such as CAC by providing technical assistance and capacity building program to this respective institution.

Deputy Commissioner in his intervention told CAC’s investigators to make use of the training as an opportunity to enhance their capacity and knowledge. Investigators must make use of every training opportunity in Timor-Leste or overseas.

“I hope that this two-days training can help the investigator in doing your work and also as tool to refresh what you have studied in Timor or overseas,” said Deputy Commissioner Bucar

The two days training is a continued support from UNODC, for the past two years UNODC has been provided training in the area of investigation, interrogation, anti-money laundering, computer forensic and digital evidence, etc. (*)

Dili – Commissioner of Comissão Anti-Corrupção (CAC) Aderito Pinto Tilman officially opened a one-day thematic discussion yesterday (20/2) about the result of the research conducted by CAC with the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Environment. The topic of the discussion was “Estudus Ajudus Subvensoens Publiku MCIA Tinan Iha Fiscal 2014-2015”, a research carried out by CAC during 2016. The debate took place at the Noble memorial hall of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation in Dili

Constancio Pinto, Minister of MCIA, also took part in the debate attended by more than 40 senior officials. The debate was also moderated by the two Deputy Commissioners of CAC: Manuel Bucar and Rui dos Santos Pereira

The debate focused on the preliminary results of a research on public subventions. Objective of the research is to provide a baseline to strengthen control mechanisms on the implementation of programs using public subventions. The study aims to detect flaws in the implementation process of public funded programs, how this funds are allocated, and to recommend to the Government, possible solutions to overcome the problems identified. The study is part of CAC’sstrategy to prevent and fight corruption.

CAC Commissioner in his intervention said that the CAC through the Risk Assessment Studies Unit conducted the research focusing on fiscal year 2014-2015, and on project whose allocated budget was more than $5,000. The research was carried out from September 25^thuntil October 31^st 2016 in 12 Municipalities, including the special region of Oecusse. CAC officials conducted interviews with 158 beneficiaries and made observations to their activities.

The result of the research will be published in a book and its recommendations will be sent to the Council of Ministers to improve some procedures and mechanisms of socialization for the beneficiaries. CAC hopes that the results of the research will be carefully reviewed and adopted by the Council of Ministers.

“We are meeting with you today to help the Minister and the Council of Ministers to fix the awarding procedure and to reconsider its approach to public grants” said the Commissioner.

Commissioner Adérito added that the research is part of CAC’s strategy to control how the state budget is spent. Similar research will be carried out soon with the Ministry of Agriculture and the Secretary of State for Women.

“CAC will wait MCIA’s feedback on the research to strengthen its credibility”

All participants were enthusiastic and actively participated in the debate yesterday and during the questions and answers session the debate was particularly “hot”. Both sides argued presenting their facts and data with strong arguments and in a very constructive manner. The debate aimed to improve the mechanisms for the awarding of public grants regulated by the Government Decree 1/2009.

The Director of the Internal Audit of MCIA was appointed as the focal point to cooperate with CAC’s researchers to complete the existing research, adding the MCIA’s point of views before sending the final results to the Council of Ministers. (*)

Bangkok – The Anti-Corruption Commission of Timor-Leste join a five-day regional conference organized by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNDOC). The conference took place in Bangkok and was attended by more than 150 delegates from 10 States. The conference with the theme “Fast-Tracking Implementation of UNCAC for Economic and social Development in Southeast Asia” focused on the increasing threat posed by corruption which is becoming a significant obstacle to development in Southeast Asia countries.

The purpose of this conference is to establish a partnership and a regional platform for all the State Parties of the United Nation Convention against Corruption in Southeast Asia to better address corruption and to review the state of implementation of the Convention in each State.

The Deputy Commissioner of CAC Rui dos Santos Pereira who attended the conference said that “The participation of the Timorese delegation to this conference was meant to share our experiences with other delegations and at the same time learn something from them.

Especially, we had the opportunity to learn and share experience from institutions of great success at regional and global level, such as the Anti-Corruption Authorities of Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia”.

The conference was divided intwo sections: three technical working groups discussed the main challenges found by each State in implementing the UNCAC, while a high-level panel allowed the head of several anti-corruption agencies to discuss their priorities.

The conference was closed with the drafting and presentation of the “Bangkok Statement”, a document that will help designing a new road map for UNODC activities in the region and to define the main priorities at national and regional level in the fight against corruption.

The delegation from Timor-Leste comprised of 12 people; CAC was represented by five officials, the General Prosecutor office by two prosecutors, the Ministry of Justice by two officials, and the Financial Information Unit (FIU) and the Central Bank by two officials. CEPAD was representing national civil society organisations with two additional staff. (*)

Dili –The Anti-Corruption Commissioner Adérito Pinto Tilman was one of the key speakers during the debate organized by the National Parliament on “Comprimisso Parlamento no Combate Corrupção Direitos, Liberdades E Garantias Vs Combate á Corrupção”. His Deputy Manuel Bucar Corte Real, moderated the discussion during the two-day event that took place at the Nobre memorial Hall of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation in Dili.
Commissioner Tilman in his presentation highlighted the Commission’s contribution to the debate. In 2015, CAC submitted to the National Parliament a draft-law contribution, a draft that is since then sitting in a desk waiting to be discussed. The Commissioner hopes that the two-day international seminar can help gathering new ideas and be a stimulus for the discussion of the anti-corruption law. This way, he hopes that the discussion in Parliament can start.
Commissioner Timan explained to the participants that the draft law presented by the Anti-Corruption Commission included a comprehensive system of asset and interest declaration for civil servants (version 6 of July 2015- chapter IV articles 31º-41º).
Law No. 7/2007, said Commissioner Tilman, obliges only Ministers and Members of Parliament to declare their assets, excluding civil servants. The Commission’s contribution to the Anti-Corruption law includes a much wider range of subjects to the asset declaration regime.
Mr Tilman also urged the legislators to discuss and approve the anti-corruption law, carefully considering also the asset recovery regime included in CAC’s proposal.
“Corruption is not only about how to bring corruptors in jail. We should also focus on how to freeze their assets and recover them. Otherwise, corruptors go to the jail but the assets would still be available for them to be used after they serve their term in jail,”.
Mr Tilman also thanked the National Parliament for showing a strong political will to discuss the anti-corruption law, even at the end of its mandate. The Anti-Corruption Law would be a great tool to complete the Timorese criminal framework.
“If theNational Parliament approves this anti corruption law, there will be no more people (corruptors) running away from their criminal responsibility,” said Commissioner Tilman.(*)