Government of Timor-Leste

The Minister of Justice Ivo Valente, as President of the Conference of Ministers of Justice of the Portuguese-speaking countries (Portuguese acronym CMJPLOP), officially opened the Second  Meeting of the Contact Points of the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries Judicial Network – CPLP, in the Pousada of Lisbon, in the Portuguese capital, on April 20^th, 2016.

In his speech, the President of CMJPLOP noted that this meeting proved to be an important tool, because it supports the gradual joint construction of Justice within CPLP. "This meeting was essential as the representatives discussed and opened up the collaboration on three conventions already concluded in 2005”, said the Minister.

Among these three conventions, the Member States of the Conference only have to implement the Convention on Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters. Regarding the remaining two conventions, namely, on Extradition between CPLP countries and on Transfer of Sentenced Persons, these countries engaged in the promotion of the CPLP Judicial Network and in the implementation of specific mechanisms, which were considered of the highest utility.

Regarding cooperation, Ivo Valente asked that the Lusophone Network to connect with other networks: “We have yet to sign the Memorandum of Understanding with the Conference of Ministers of Justice of Ibero-American Nations (Spanish acronym, COMJIB) paving the way for coordinating relations between the Ibero-American Network for International Judicial Cooperation (IberRED) and our CPLP Judicial Network.”

The Minister also spoke about the financing of the CPLP Network, about the programme and the management mechanisms of the Conference of Ministers of Justice’s Permanent Secretariat, and about the availability of the necessary support to Timor-Leste, as the nation holding the CMJPLOP Presidency.

The Contact Points of Legal and International Judicial Cooperation Network of the Portuguese-speaking Countries, representing Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Portugal , São Tomé and Príncipe and Timor-Leste attended this event.

During his stay in Portugal, the Minister of Justice visited the Institute of Registries and Notaries (Portuguese acronym IRN), from the Portuguese Ministry of Justice, in Lisbon, on April 21^st, 2016. The Minister also met with IRN’s President, José Ascenso Nunes da Maia, to talk about the support that the Institute can provide on services to citizens and businesses, regarding identification, nationality granting processes, and civil, land, commercial, movable assets and legal persons registration.

Minister Ivo Valente took this opportunity to inform that within the framework of bilateral cooperation, his Ministry will send a trainee notary from the National Directorate for Registration and Notary, in May 2016, to learn notarial services with the IRN, for four months.