DILI, 13 May 2025 (TATOLI) – President Jose Ramos-Horta on Tuesday officially swore in Nelson de Carvalho as Prosecutor General, replacing Alfonso Lopez, who has held the job since 2021.
Nelson de Carvalho took the oath during a ceremony at the Nicolau Lobato Presidential Palace, attended by Prime Minister Xanana Gusmão, government officials, and other dignitaries.
Timor-Leste’s Constitution, specifically section 86(k) in conjunction with section 133(3), grants the President of the Republic, the power to appoint and swear in the new Prosecutor General.
Carvalho will serve a four-year term as the Prosecutor General under the Ministry of the Public Prosecution Service.
In his speech, Horta lauded Carvalho’s prior experience as a jurist whose professional career is marked by twenty-three years of meritorious public service, “carried out with dedication and excellence within the Judiciary – an essential and indispensable pillar of the Democratic Rule of Law.”
“Throughout the professional trajectory of Nelson de Carvalho, it is evident that he is a highly qualified speaker at various international events,” Horta said. “At no time has he shown reluctance or intimidation in the face of the invitations received, addressing a wide range of topics in the field of Law.”
With Nelson de Carvalho now assuming the role, President Horta stressed that the Public Ministry must guide its actions by the strict adherence to the principle of legality, avoiding the prescription of cases due to inaction and refraining from bringing to trial cases where acquittal is foreseeable from the outset.
“The Constitution of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste defines the Public Ministry as a proactive body of the judicial system, responsible for representing the State, exercising criminal action, and protecting minors, absent individuals, and those who are incapable—particularly vulnerable subjects—as well as defending democratic legality and promoting compliance with the law.
“Judicialism cannot take root in Timor-Leste because the Public Ministry, when acting, must do so based on the principles of legality, objectivity, impartiality, and respect for the law. In this sense, it is not acceptable for the Public Ministry to act in a partisan manner, especially with respect to political sectors, engaging in politically motivated persecutions against any sector.
“The Public Ministry is not expected to be inconsistent in its actions, where excessive zeal and rigor are demanded for certain political figures, seeking excessive punitive measures, but for others, a lenient approach is adopted that borders on impunity. Only in this way can justice shine in Timorese society with the brilliance that we all, as well as the political institutions, legitimately deserve.”
Appointed by the then UNTAET Administrator, the late Sérgio Vieira de Mello, PhD, in 2000, Nelson de Carvalho began his career as a judicial magistrate at the Baucau Court.
Later, he attended the course in Records and Notary Services, taught by the Judicial Training Center, where he also successfully completed the judicial magistrates’ training course.
He was appointed Deputy Attorney General and then designated Director of the Central Office for State Litigation and Collective and Diffuse Interests in 2023.
Journalist: Camilio de Sousa
Editor: Filomeno Martins
