Media Release - Fretilin's strong anti-corruption record

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2007 Parliamentary Elections

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Media release

30 May 2007

Fretilin's strong anti-corruption record

Timor-Leste's (East Timor's) Fretilin government has taken a "zero
tolerance" approach to corruption and built a strong legal and
institutional framework to combat abuse of power by officials, a party
spokesperson says.

FRETILIN spokesperson and parliamentary candidate Cipriana Pereira
outlined numerous specific measures implemented or supported by the
government in the past five years to ensure a clean and honest
administration for all East Timorese.
"FRETILIN's position on corruption has always been clear – zero
tolerance," Pereira said.

Speaking in a nationally televised live debate involving all political
parties yesterday, she said measures included setting up the Office of
the Provedor (ombudsman), the Office of the Inspector General, and the
Petroleum Fund.

"The FRETILIN Government also decided to decentralize financial
responsibility in stages, not at once, to allow time to build local
capacity for financial management," Pereira said.

"The Government also annually contracts international, independent
auditors to review government expenditure and accounts, to strengthen
transparency, accountability and good governance".

Pereira cited the Timorese non-governmental organization, LABEH, which
reported that government corruption exists only on a small scale, does
not involve large diversions of money, and is limited to allegations
of contracts being awarded without following legal procedures
("Corruption Watch Report 2007" dated 17 May 2007).

Pereira said: "The reason why corruption exists only on a small scale
is because of the good governance framework we put in place. I have
been in parliament since before the restoration of the independence
and have seen the transparency with which our budget approval and
budget expenditure review process is scrutinised."

Pereira said it was FRETILIN which proposed the creation of an Office
of the Provedor during the 2001 constitutional assembly which drafted
the Constitution.
"The creation of the Office of the Provedor has been the most
important factor in allowing citizens to lodge complaints about abuse
of power and human right abuses by state institutions," she said.

"It has functioned with the utmost independence. In only a few years,
this Office has established a reputation for credible and independent
investigation of complaints".

In regards to the Office of the Inspector General, Pereira said former
Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri referred more than 10 cases of alleged
corruption uncovered by the Inspector General to the Prosecutor
General's office. However, the Prosecutor General was appointed by
the former President and his Office is independent of the government.
The Prosecutor General's Office failed to progress the action needed
to investigate the cases referred.

Pereira said the Petroleum Fund and the legal framework which
established it were recognized internationally as best practice and as
a transparent means to manage the nation's petroleum revenues.

"The government has also done well to resist decentralizing financial
responsibility too quickly. This is because there is still a lack of
capacity to properly administer finances at a local authority level."

For more information, please contact:
Jose Teixeira (+670) 728 7080 or fretilin.media@gmail.com
www.fretilin-rdtl.blogspot.com, www.timortruth.com