Meeting of the Council of Ministers on September 13th, 2023
Presidency of the Council of Ministers
Ninth Constitutional Government
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Press Release
Meeting of the Council of Ministers on September 13th, 2023
The Council of Ministers met at the Government Palace in Dili and approved the draft Government Resolution, presented by the Prime Minister, Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão, on the allocation of a donation of US$ 2.5 million to the Kingdom of Morocco to help respond to the needs arising from the destruction caused by the 6.8 magnitude earthquake that struck the country on the night of Friday, September 8th, killing at least 2,800 people and injuring 2,500.
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Five draft Government Resolutions presented by the Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Francisco da Costa Monteiro, were approved for the appointments of:
- Mr Rui Maria Alves Soares, to the position of Chairman of the Board of Directors and, by inherence, Chairman of the Executive Committee of TIMOR GAP, E.P. - Timor Gás & Petróleo, E.P ("TIMOR GAP"), for a four-year term of office.
As the leading public company in the energy sector, TIMOR GAP is mandated to manage the State's investments in the oil sector and related sectors, per the government's policy.
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- Mr José Manuel Gonçalves, to the position of Chairman of the Board of Directors and, by inherence, Chairman of the Executive Committee of Murak Rai Timor, E.P., for a four-year term of office.
Murak Rai Timor, E.P., as the leading public company in Timor-Leste's mining sector, is mandated to act in the interests of the State in the said sector, namely by carrying out Mining Activities following the policy defined by the Government.
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- Mr. Gualdino do Carmo da Silva, to the position of Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Autoridade Nacional do Petróleo, I.P. (ANP), for a four-year term of office.
The ANP is a public institute with powers to act as a regulatory body for the oil, natural gas and derivatives industries and related sectors.
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- Mr Rafael Danilson Magno de Araújo, to the position of Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Autoridade Nacional dos Minerais, I.P. (ANM), for a four-year term of office.
The ANM is a public institute whose remit is to act as a regulatory institution for the mineral resources sector in scrupulous compliance with the provisions of the Mining Code and any existing or future legislation or regulations governing the mineral resources sector.
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- Job Brites dos Santos, to the position of Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Instituto de Geociências de Timor-Leste, I.P. (IGTL), for a four-year term of office.
The IGTL is a public institute with the mission of promoting the creation and management of archives, production, management, storage and dissemination of geological information, including information on oil, natural gas and mineral resources, serving as a basis for prospecting, research and exploration of national mineral resources.
The appointments of Rui Maria Alves Soares, José Manuel Gonçalves, Gualdino do Carmo da Silva, Rafael Danilson Magno de Araújo, and Job Brites dos Santos have taken into account their recognised suitability, integrity, academic and professional training, experience in senior positions, technical capacity in the management of the specific oil, gas and mineral resources sectors, knowledge of policies and strategies related to these sectors, as well as leadership, collaboration, teaching and team motivation skills. These characteristics are essential for the performance of their positions in the respective entities (TIMOR GAP, E.P., Murak Rai Timor, E.P., ANP, ANM and IGTL) within the framework of the public interest service that these organisations perform for the State.
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The Council of Ministers decided to approve, on terms to be determined, the transfer of buildings in the Government Palace block that are currently vacant and unused for use by the National Parliament, given that the space in the National Parliament building and its annexes has become very limited to meet the needs of this body which, due to the increased demands of its tasks, as well as changes in its organisational structure, have required a considerable increase in the number of officials, agents and collaborators at its service.
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The Council of Ministers approved the draft Government Resolution, presented by the Minister of State Administration, Tomás do Rosário Cabral, to maintain the State's contractual public interest in the execution of the public contract ref. ICB/036/MAE-2020, signed on February 16th, 2022, for the supply of solid waste collection equipment and equipment for the operation of the controlled waste landfill as part of Dili's urban solid waste management project.
With this Government Resolution, the Government reiterates its commitment to implementing the Investment Strategy for Municipal Solid Waste Management in Dili, approved by Government Resolution 32/2016 of October 5th. It also recognises the clear public interest in rapidly acquiring the equipment mentioned to implement this Strategy.
The Government declares invalid the declaration of loss of contractual interest of the State regarding the public contract with reference ICB/036/MAE-2023 due to the lack of notice to the contracting party and the non-application of the pecuniary penalty provided for in the general conditions of the contract before its cancellation. It also affirms the continuation of the State's contractual interest in the public contract with reference ICB/036/MAE-2023.
It is recognised that extending the term of the public contract with reference ICB/036/MAE-2023 and changing the technical specifications of some of the goods to be supplied contributes to the public interest.
The Government instructs the National Procurement Commission to proceed with the respective amendment to contract no. ICB/036/MAE-2023 to allow the extension of its term until February 29th, 2024 and the amendment of the technical specifications of the goods to be supplied, provided that this does not affect the operability of the solid waste collection and landfill operation equipment.
Lastly, the Minister of State Administration is instructed to sign the amendment to contract no. ICB/036/MAE-2023 after extending the contract's validity period and performance guarantees until February 29th, 2024.
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Lastly, the Council of Ministers decided to approve, following the proposal presented by Prime Minister Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão, the names of Sérgio de Jesus Fernandes da Costa Hornai and Rui Pereira dos Santos to be presented to the National Parliament for appointment as the new Commissioner of the Anti-Corruption Commission.
By current legislation, the names proposed by the Government will now be analysed and voted on by the National Parliament. Their appointment will require an absolute majority of the deputies present, representing at least three-quarters of the deputies in office. END
