Upsss...

Mark Dodd - The Australian - January 16, 2009

AN urgent search is under way in East Timor for $13.3million that was allocated to various government ministries but is unaccounted for, amid growing corruption concerns.

News of the missing millions is a severe embarrassment to the Gusmao Government, which is heavily dependent on aid from the UN and foreign donors, of which Australia is one of its biggest.

The impoverished half-island state is one of Asia's poorest, with few developed natural resources and almost no industry.

Under questioning by the Fretilin opposition, Finance Minister Emilia Pires told parliament yesterday the East Timorese Government was trying to recover the money but had met with only limited success.

Fretilin spokesman and senior party official Jose Teixeira told The Australian the money had been taken by corrupt officials.

"They (the Government) have no hope of getting it back. They have lost control of finances, and public administration is far worse than we thought," he said. "How can any government justify to their taxpayers providing a huge aid program here when there is such wastage?"

In a letter written by Ms Pires to Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao last Friday, and obtained by The Australian, the minister expresses concern that much of the money has been misappropriated by corrupt officials.

"The National Treasury Directorate wrote to all ministries on 9 October (2008) to present their justification for expenses for which they received advances up until October 25," she wrote.

"By the 9th of January (2009), the total debt for all ministries was $US8.8 million. It is possible that some ministers have opened bank accounts in order to retain the money securely.

"The opening of such a bank account with any bank is expressly illegal."

In a second letter to the Portuguese BNU Bank dated January 9, Ms Pires indicates she is aware of several illegal bank accounts and orders them closed.

"Account No 4136469-10-001 should be immediately closed," she wrote. "The credit balance should be transferred immediately to government account CFET 2-3711.

"From hereon, public receipts should not be credited to the above-mentioned account."

The US and international corruption watchdog Transparency International have recently expressed concern at rising corruption in East Timor.

Six years ago, the national budget stood at just $124 million. But the Government is now dipping into its $3.9 billion petroleum fund, which is flush with oil and gas proceeds from the Timor Sea.

Last year's budget rocketed to $973million, with this year's budget set at $1.03 billion.

Australian aid for 2008-09 is worth almost $100 million.

Papa poderá visitar país em 2010 - MNE Zacarias da Costa

Cidade do Vaticano, 17 Jan (Lusa) - O ministro dos Negócios Estrangeiros timorense admitiu hoje que o papa Bento XVI poderá visitar Timor-Leste em 2010.

Zacarias da Costa encontra-se na Cidade do Vaticano, onde hoje iniciou negociações com o secretário para as Relações com os Estados da Santa Sé, arcebispo Domenique Mamberti, sobre a Concordata que será assinada entre os dois Estados.

"Solicitei também ao monsenhor Mamberti que visitasse Timor-Leste como preparação de uma possível visita do Santo Padre ao país, cujo o convite foi feito já na altura do Presidente Xanana Gusmão e depois, posteriormente, pelo Presidente Ramos-Horta no ano passado, quando visitámos o Santo Padre", disse Zacarias da Costa, contactado telefonicamente pela Agência Lusa a partir de Lisboa.

"Portanto, há a confiança da nossa parte que a visita possa ser feita no próximo ano a Timor-Leste e concordámos em olhar para datas, talvez já Março, para a visita do arcebispo Domenique Mamberti, como ministro dos Negócios Estrangeiros da Santa Sé, para preparar esta visita (do Papa)", referiu.

"Eu também manifestei o meu regozijo pelo Vaticano já ter nomeado o seu representante em Timor-Leste, monsenhor José Leite Nogueira, um português que já está há muitos anos no Vaticano e que tive o privilégio de ser colega num seminário em Braga", disse Zacarias da Costa.

O ministro das Negócios Estrangeiros timorense disse ainda que discutiu com o arcebispo Mamberti "a situação político-económica e social de Timor-Leste, a situação da região e a possível criação de uma terceira diocese no país".

Zacarias da Costa apontou também que tratou com o seu homólogo vários aspectos da Concordata a ser assinado pelos dois Estados, mas não quis adiantar detalhes da negociação.

Segundo o ministro timorense, as negociações do acordo entre Timor-Leste e a Santa Sé deverão prolongar-se entre seis meses e um ano.

O papa João Paulo II visitou Díli em 1989, quando Timor-Leste se encontrava sob ocupação indonésia.

CSR.
Lusa/Fim