01 August 2010

JSMP:Inauguration of accommodation for prosecutors and court clerks assigned to Oecusse District Court

Press Release

Period         : June 2010

Published           : 24 June 2010

Inauguration of accommodation for prosecutors and court clerks assigned to Oecusse District Court

On 18 June 2010 the Oecusse District Prosecution Unit inaugurated accommodation for prosecutors and court clerks assigned to the Oecusse District Court. This ceremony was attended by the President of the Republic Jose Ramos Horta, President of the Court of Appeal Claudio Ximenes, Prosecutor General Ana Pessoa, Chief of UNMIT Ameraah Haq, F-FDTL Commander Major-General Taur Matan Ruak, Navy Commander Pedro Klamar Fuik, Member of Parliament Fernanda Borges, Bishop of Dili Dom Ricardo da Silva, as well as donors, representatives from the Indonesian Consulate in Oecusse as well as several international and national NGOs.

In his speech the President said that he really values the commitment of the Prosecutor General Ana Pessoa and the work of her office in completing the project to provide accommodation for judicial officers in all territorial jurisdictions. President Ramos Horta also values the work of the Timorese contractors who were entrusted by the Prosecution Service to carry out this project, who at a reasonable cost of US $178.000 were able to provide top quality accommodation.

The Prosecutor General Ana Pessoa who is the highest ranking person in the Prosecution Service stated that the facilities provided are intended to help the judicial officers carry out their tasks efficiently. In this way they can better respond to the needs of the community who wish to access justice. This accommodation was provided also in response to concerns raised by NGOs who have noted that a lack of facilities was one of the primary reasons for delays and a serious challenge in the handling of cases in the aforementioned jurisdiction. Therefore, with the provision of such accommodation it is hoped that there will be a change in the work carried out by judicial actors, especially in terms of assisting the community in relation to justice.

The Director of JSMP, Luis de Oliveira Sampaio, believes that the inauguration of the aforementioned accommodation is a positive step in the provision of infrastructure that will facilitate the work of prosecutors and enhance their performance. These efforts are aimed at improving the quality of work provided by the prosecution service.

JSMP believes that the provision of permanent accommodation for judicial actors is one way to respond to concerns that a lack of housing was preventing judicial actors from residing in the jurisdictions to which they have been assigned.

JSMP reiterates its recommendation to the government or competent institutions to provide the same level of facilities for judicial actors assigned to other courts, including public defenders and court clerks.

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