Presidency of the Council of Ministers

Spokesperson of the Government of Timor-Leste

Ninth Constitutional Government

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Press Release

Meeting of the Council of Ministers on November 21st, 2024

The Council of Ministers met at the Government Palace in Dili and analysed the proposal to grant pardons, by His Excellency the President of the Republic on the occasion of the celebration of the 49th anniversary of the Proclamation of Independence of Timor-Leste.

Law 20/2023 establishes that the President of the Republic can grant pardons or commute sentences as a political and humanitarian intervention in the administration of justice. This procedure allows for the total or partial pardon of a sentence, the replacement of the sentence with a more favourable one, or its mitigation, always on a case-by-case basis.

Article 8 of the Law mentioned above determines that the Government is consulted on these decisions and issued an opinion. However, this opinion is not binding, respecting the exclusive competence of the President of the Republic.

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The Council of Ministers approved the draft Government Resolution presented by the Minister of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, Agio Pereira, to appoint Anita Tavares Ribeiro de Jesus to serve as Civil Service Commissioner on an exclusive dedication basis until November 22^nd, 2028.

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The draft Government Resolution, presented by the Ministers for Defence and the Interior, Donaciano do Rosário Gomes and Francisco da Costa Guterres, respectively, on the Joint Operational Commitment between the Falintil – Timor-Leste Defence Forces and the Timor-Leste National Police, to ensure the security, social stability and well-being of the population, during the Official Ceremonies to Commemorate the 49th Anniversary of the Proclamation of Timor-Leste’s Independence, as well as the Christmas and New Year’s festivities, was also approved.

The Government Resolution establishes patrol and surveillance operations in sensitive locations in all municipalities to prevent acts of social instability. The Task Force will be coordinated by the General Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces and the General Commander of the PNTL, with the support of various government and institutional entities.

The resolution also provides for specific measures, such as the definition of chains of command, rules of engagement and intelligence support, and the proportional use of force following current legislation. This Task Force’s operation period will be from November 20^th, 2024, to January 5^th, 2025.

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According to the projects presented by the Minister of Public Works, Samuel Marçal, the Council of Ministers decided to:

• Authorise expenditure for constructing a six-storey office building for the Ministry of Public Works and an adjacent one-storey building for the Civil Engineering Laboratory, at a cost of around US$20 million.

• Authorise expenditure for the rehabilitation and maintenance of the stretch of road between Seloi, Aileu and Gleno, Ermera, covering 18km, with an estimated value of US$15.97 million.

• Authorise expenditure for the rehabilitation and maintenance of the stretch of road between Lospalos and Lautém, covering 27.980km, with an estimated value of US$22.7 million.

• Authorise expenditure for the rehabilitation and maintenance of the stretch of road between Lautém and Com, covering 19.760km, with an estimated value of US$13.8 million.

• Authorise expenditure for the rehabilitation and maintenance of the stretch of road between Letefoho junction and Gleno, covering 24.140km, with an estimated value of US$45 million. END