DILI, 23 october 2023 (TATOLI) – Certificates in economic and financial crime were awarded to 28 Timorese judges who attended the Training on Economic and Financial Crime, as part of the Osan Povu Nian, Jere Ho Dia’k Project (Partnership to Improve Service Delivery Through Strengthened Public Finance Management And Oversight, PFMO), promoted by the European Union and the Camões Institute, in collaboration with the University of Coimbra.
The Prime Minister, Xanana Gusmão, said that legally, Timor-Leste does not escape the vicissitudes of the anomalies arising from the legal fragility of developing countries.
He said: “As a fragile country, it is crucial that we nourish the institutions of the state with a basis of seriousness and responsibility in taking actions, from the functional to the merely administrative, from those of a decision-making nature to those of a national scope, from those of a state nature to those that specifically involve political interests.”
“Jere ho Di’ak is not and cannot be understood only as a responsibility inherent to those charged with using the state’s money for the common good, but it is an act of responsibility to the justice system itself which, by law, has the duty to analyze the normative procedures that govern public spending, as it has the duty to investigate the legality and transparency of the acts carried out by public managers, in order to demand fulfillment of the duty,” said Gusmão, at the Hotel Timor, in Dili.
According to Gusmão, the issue of Osan Povu nian – Jere ho Di’ak is a fundamental matter for the life of the nation and one that transcends the boundaries of time, emphasizing that the country is currently facing “irregularities in expenditure worth more than tens of millions of dollars, without the justice system having shown the wisdom to demand responsibility for the loss of so much Osan Povo nian [people’s money],”
Jumiaty Freitas, one of the trainees, also emphasized the importance of the training, since economic and financial crime is “a complex crime”.
As a judge of the Dili Court, Freitas said that the training was “useful” because the trainers had knowledge and experience in this area: “This training was specifically aimed at combating corruption, money laundering, and the criminal procedure code. Through this course, we learned about the elements of economic crime, the competence of a judge to carry out investigations, and how to freeze accounts or assets of the perpetrators.”
She wanted to have more training to enrich her knowledge of organized crime, as well as economic and financial crimes.
The European Union Ambassador to Timor-Leste, Marc Fiedrich, said that this training was considered to be of the utmost importance in terms of supporting the technical training of Timorese judges to carry out their duties professionally.
Fiedrich emphasized strong institutions, with better-trained people and better conditions for the performance of their duties, are one of the essential factors for the progress and sustainable development of the people and the country.
“Democracy, justice, and building strong institutions are values and priorities of the European Union and its Member States, which we share with Timor-Leste. We must stand together, build strong partnerships and share knowledge and information,” said Fiedrich.
The training began on 15 september in Baucau and was divided into two groups. The first two weeks were attended by 16 judges and the last week by 12. The course manual was provided by two trainers from the University of Coimbra, Portugal.
The overall objective of PFMO is to strengthen economic and democratic governance in Timor-Leste by improving the effectiveness, transparency, accountability and participatory nature of the delivery of Government services to the population.
The PFMO aims to strengthen the capacity of state and non-state institutions to control public finances, namely the National Parliament, the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the General State Inspectorate, the Chamber of Accounts, the Anti-Corruption Commission, the Criminal Investigation Police, the Media and Civil Society Organisations. The implementation of the project is co-financed by the European Union with (€12 million) and Camões Institute with €600,000.
The project is co-financed by the European Union (€12 million) and the Camões Institute (€600,000).
Journalist: José Belarmino De Sá
Editor: Filomeno Marins
