Ministers, Directors And Department Heads Accused Of Corruption Related Crimes

Government Chambers, Dili, East Timor

Dili, 20 Feb (Lusa) – Ministers, district administrators, department heads, national directors and other civil servants comprise among the number of persons accused of corruption by Timor-Leste’s Prosecutor General of the Republic (PGR), according to the published annual report.

Amongst others accused were Jose Luis Guterres, Deputy Prime Minister for wrongful administration and abuse of power, and in the same proceedings, also Zacarias Albano da Costa, current Minister for Foreign affairs, Joao Freitas da Camara, currently ambassador to Thailand and Rogerio dos Santos, a diplomat stationed in Brasil, although the court is yet to accept some of the accusations.

In separate proceedings, also for wrongful administration, were accused Arcanjo Leite, Minister for State Administration and Territorial Planning, as well as Bernardo Hornay, from the Baucau district administration and president of the  planning and implementation commission of the local development program.

Joanico Goncalves former director of the Institute for Equipment Management and two other civil servants from that Institute were also accused of corruption.

Two heads of department from the Ministry of Finance were also accused by the Prosecutor General of corruption.  The former head of the procurement department in the Ministry of Justice was accused of corruption and falsification of documents.

Even in the Supreme Court of Appeal, the highest judicial organ in Timor-Leste, a justice officer was accused of passive corruption for the purposes of an illegal act and aggravated falsification of documents.