MEDIA RELEASE
Dili, Thursday 2 April 2009
FRETILIN welcomes government MP’s call for inquiry into Ministry of Finance malpractice
FRETILIN today welcomed a call by the two biggest parties in Timor Leste’s ‘Parliamentary Majority Alliance’ (AMP) government for an inquiry into apparent corruption and nepotism in the Ministry of Finance.
Two AMP chiefs – the Democratic Party’s (PD) deputy leader, Rui Menezes and the Social Democratic Party’s (PSD) leader, Fernando Gusmão – on Tuesday (30 March) called for a parliamentary committee to inquire into the controversial recruitment of national directors for the ministry, including the involvement of politically-appointed Australian advisors.
“Mismanagement of the Finance Ministry is so serious that even the AMP’s own parliamentarians will tolerate it no longer,” said FRETILIN MP and Party Vice President, Arsenio Bano, today.
“FRETILIN as the largest party in parliament has been calling on the de facto Minister of Finance, Ms Emilia Pires, to answer allegations of corruption and nepotism for almost a year now, including allegations of jobs for ‘mates’ from Australia employed on hugely inflated salaries,” Bano said.
He said that on Tuesday PD deputy leader Rui Menezes expressed particular concern that a selection panel composed almost entirely of foreign advisors and non-public service political appointees decided the futures of senior civil servants who had served the ministry since 2002.
Mr Menezes added that following the panel’s interviews with the applicants, a list of successful candidates was published on 26 March. However a conflicting list was published the following day, which omitted previously successful candidates and added new ones.
Some of the people named on the second published list of successful candidates had not even applied for the positions, Mr Menezes said.
He said Minister Pires should be called before parliament to explain, and called on her to cancel the recruitment process and start afresh.
Mr. Menezes has previously raised complaints in parliament of the minister’s political appointment of an Australian taxation official, Mr. Graham Daniels as Director General of the ministry’s Customs Division. He has questioned the Minister’s motives for the
appointment, as well as Mr. Daniels’ alleged mistreatment and verbal abuse of Timorese national directors and staff.
Also on Tuesday PSD leader Mr. Fernando Gusmão called on Ms Pires to explain to parliament what he criticised as “a practice of growing collusion, corruption and nepotism in the Ministry of Finance.” Mr. Gusmão used the Indonesian acronym “KKN” to describe evidence of increasing corruption in the ministry.
Both Mr. Menezes and Mr. Gusmão also criticised the large number of politically-appointed advisors and other bilateral and multilateral–funded consultants, mostly Australian citizens, including an Australian pathology nurse who is an advisor in the ministry.
Mr Bano said Minister Pires had repeatedly failed to respond FRETILIN’s requests to provide parliament with details and copies of contracts with these consultants and advisors.
“We don’t have anything against Australians, but we do object to ministry appointments on the basis of who you know and not what you know,” Bano said.
He said FRETILIN would ask parliament to formally investigate the ministry’s recruitment processes and would expect support from members of the AMP.
The Australian newspaper on January 16 2009 in a report headed “Timor officials 'took' $13.3 million” said: “An urgent search is underway in East Timor for $13.3million that was allocated to various government ministries but is unaccounted for, amid growing corruption concerns.”
Mr Bano said minister Pires had failed to explain what happened to these missing millions, despite having promised to do so by the end of March 2009.
Note: FRETILIN Media Release of 16 December 2008 is reprinted below. For further information contact José Teixeira on +670 728 7080 or Arsenio Bano on +670 741 9505
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