30 May 2013

Corruption trial of State Secretary for Institutional Strengthening continues in Dili District Court

ETLJB 30 May 2013 - The Dili District on Wednesday (29/5) continued the trial of the former Director for the Ministry of Planning and Finance, Francisco Borlaco, who is also the current state secretary for Institutional Empowerment.

During the trial, the National Director for Procurement, Manuel Monteiro revealed that he had no knowledge about the signing-off of the budget for a procurement tender that was allocated to the company which had won the tender as he had not adapted with the process of procurement.

Monteiro affirmed that he could not make any decision himself as he was accompanied by the Director-General Borlaco in the process of procurement.

Other witness, Agustinho Gudinho and Agustinho dos Reis, declared that the decision on the tender process was a collective decision of the procurement team and was not a personal decision.      

The Public Prosecution made an accusation against Mr. Borlaco of committing fraud in the tender process of providing trucks in which the invoice showed a different amount of the budget that was expended. The trucks were provided for the Ministry of Education to help facilitate school feeding program in the country.

The proposed budget for purchasing the trucks was US$90,000, but there was a significant difference between the allocated budet and the invoice which the Sinarias Company provided.

Borlaco signed the budget when he was still the director-general for the Ministry of Planning and Finance during the IV AMP Government. He is a member of the parliament representing the Democratic Party.

On 4 August 2009, Suara Timor Loro Sae reported that the then Junior Director General for State budget, Francisco Soares Borlaco had formally complained to Finance Minister, Emilia Pires about Deputy Prime Minister for Management and Public Administration, Mario Viegas Carrascalao whom he alleges to have violated the tender processes and accused Mr Carrascalao of politicising the procurement process.  Source: Televizaun Timor-Leste 30 May 2013 Diario Nacional 29 May 2013 Edited by Warren L. Wright

Related posts
Public Prosecutor files proceedings against Secretary of State Francisco Borlaco alleging abuse of power
Court seeks removal of immunity of State Secretary for Institutional Strengthening as quest against corruption continues in Timor-Leste

No comments: