The Minister of Justice, Ivo Valente, presided to the closing ceremony of the European Union’s Justice Programme in Timor-Leste, which, since 2012, helped create the Scientific Police for Criminal Investigation (SPCI) and the Board of Auditors, among other initiatives.

The programme was aimed at strengthening the democratic foundations of control, supervision and transparency in the justice system in general, focusing on the technical training of cadres, so that these may ensure fully functioning departments in the Board of Auditors and in the SPCI.

In the context of the Board of Auditors, 30 staff from the auditor career were trained, in Portugal and in Timor-Leste, ensuring the daily follow up of their activity.

In the context of the SPCI, in addition to the training of 47 investigators and 31 forensic experts, the cooperation involved the establishment of the Forensic Science Laboratory and the provision of two Mobile Units, both fully equipped by the programme.

Currently, the equipment to support the judicial investigation of documents, in toxicology and in ballistics, which will give the Laboratory vanguard instruments in these important areas, is in the final phase of the acquisition process.

During the closing session, which was held on October 21^st, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, the interventions were unanimous in recognizing the positive impact of the Justice Programme, which decisively contributed to the consolidation of social peace and democracy.

An international seminar on the activity of the SPCI, held on October 20^th, preceded this ceremony. Both events were attended by the President of the Court of Appeal, Maria Natércia Gusmão, the head of the EU delegation in Timor-Leste, Alexandre Leitão, the Ambassador of Portugal in Dili, Manuel Gonçalves de Jesus, and the representative of the President of the Camões IP, Sandra Magalhães, direct partners of the programme, among other dignitaries.