REPÚBLICA DEMOCRÁTICA DE TIMOR-LESTE

IV Constitutional Government

SECRETARIAT OF STATE FOR COUNCIL OF MINISTERS

PRESS RELEASE

Meeting of the Council of Ministers 13th of August 2008

The Council of Ministers met this Wednesday, 13th of August 2008, in the Council of Ministers meeting room, Government Palace, in Dili where it approved:

1-The Decree-Law that approves the value of the presence vouchers to be given to the Members of the National Elections Commission.

The diploma, approved by the Council of Ministers in today’s meeting defines the amount of the daily subsidy to be paid to the members of the National Elections Commission (CNE), as a monetary aid while carrying out their official functions.

The members of the CNE have the right to their salary, and in accordance with the approved diploma, to a daily subsidy for each meeting and work session in which they participate. They are entitled to communication and transport subsidies. They are also entitled to food and housing subsidies whenever, for official reason, they travel away from their usual working place. They are also entitled to any other remuneration supplements, with a purpose other than the stated above, in an amount equivalent to 50 per cent to what the Members of National Parliament are entitled, in accordance to the applicable legislation.

2-Decree that changes the Government Decree n º 2/2007, 1 Agosto

After the Law n. 7/2007 25th July being approved by National Parliament, approving the Statute of the Heads of the Sovereign Bodies, the Government has regulated the expenditures, which should be read as “right to a house being allocated by the Government” and at the same time regulated that the situation of the members of Government that do not have a house allocated by the State.

However, the indexes which regulate those supplements were not defined, either regarding the payment of the house rents, either regarding the payment of the usual charges that come with rented houses, like power or water, this for the cases where the State cannot make a house available, so as to mitigate the different treatment. Which is a situation that the present diploma, that the Council of Ministers approved in today’s meeting, rectifies.

3-The Resolution that approves for ratification the Convention to Aid in Penal Issues between the Member States of the Portuguese Speaking Countries.

The Council of Ministers approved today, the proposal for Timor-Leste to be a member of the Convention for Legal Aid in Penal Issues among the member States of the Portuguese Speaking Countries (CPLP).

This convention streamlines the penal processes for people involved in more than one CPLP country, through mutual aid. In includes the dissemination of information, of procedural and other public acts, as well as acts connected to the loss, apprehension or freezing, or the recovery of personal instruments, goods, objects or the proceeds of a crime and also ensuring the presence of people.

The Diploma, which was approved today by the Council of Ministers will now be sent to National Parliament.

4-Resolution that approves for ratification the Convention on Extradition between Member States of the Portuguese Speaking Countries.

The Council of Ministers has approved today, the proposal for Timor-Leste to sign the Extradition Convention among the Community of Portuguese-speaking Countries (CPLP) member states .

The Council of Ministers approved the Extradition Convention among the Community of Portuguese-speaking Countries (CPLP) member states. The accord obliges the CPLP countries to hand over people in their territories being sought by another state, so that the criminal procedures and the sentence can be carried out.

The diploma approved today by the Council of Ministers will now be sent to National Parliament.

5-Resolution that approves for ratification the Convention on the Transfer of Condemned People among the State Members of the Portuguese Speaking Countries

The Council of Ministers approved in today’s meeting the proposal for Timor-leste to sign on the Convention on the Transfer of Condemned People among the Community of the Portuguese Speaking Countries .

This convention allows people that are deprived of their freedom, due to a judicial decision, to carry out their sentence in their own social and family environment. However, it will not be possible to change the content of the judicial decision.

The diploma approved today by the Council of Ministers will now be sent to National Parliament.

6-Resolution that approves for ratification an Instrument that creates an International Legal and Judiciary Cooperation Network for the Portuguese Speaking Countries

The Council of Ministers approved in today’s meeting the proposal for Timor-Leste to create an International Legal and Judiciary Cooperation Network for the Portuguese Speaking Countries.

This instrument aims develop a network that streamlines the cooperation in the legal and judiciary sectors amongst the eight member countries of CPLP in the areas of civil, commercial and penal law, so as to intensify the colaboration of the institutions, the exchange and discussion of relevant information on international institutions.

The network will have a secretariat headed by a secretary general, elected by the ministers of Justice, within the scope of the Permanent Secretariat of of the Conference of the Ministers for Justice of the Portuguese Speaking Countries, and at the end of two years an assessment will be made.

The diploma approved today by the Council of Ministers will now be sent to National Parliament.

The Council of Ministers has also analysed:

7-Military Drafting

The Council of Ministers discussed also today the military drafting, having decided to send to National Parliament a draft law, with the aim to make some changes to the law on military service which is now in force, so as to include Voluntary Military Service.