DILI (TOP) – A joint team of police and military thwarted three passengers who were trying to smuggle US dollar cash amounting to one hundred thousand thirty dollars and four million rupiahs more to Indonesia at President Nicolau Lobato's international airport in Komoro-Dili.
The officers confirmed that the cash that had been confiscated amounted to one hundred thousand and thirty US dollars and four million rupiahs more.
After the confiscation, the police immediately carried out the identification process of the three people who were known to be KHUNTO party militants.
During the identification process, suddenly appeared the highest advisor to the KHUNTO party, José dos Santos Bucar and also the deputy interior minister António Armindo, as well as the deputy minister of justice who immediately intervened in the confiscation process.
José Bucar had tried to get the money back, but the authorities not allow it.
According to a report from state TV, Radio no Televizaun Timor-Leste (RTTL) was heard from José Bucar's explanation and confession that these hundreds of thousands of cash money belonged to him personally and were sent to Indonesia to make purchases about his party's attributes.
The KHUNTO party is one of the parties that joined the current government under the leadership of prime minister Taur Matan Ruak of the PLP party. And the deputy prime minister as well as the Minister of Social Solidarity and Inclusiveness is the president of the KHUNTO party, Armanda Berta dos Santos who is the wife of José dos Santos Bucar.
“The government must give an answer to this, otherwise the government will face difficulties,” José Bucar explained as shown on state TV, Tuesday 4 October 2022.
“I handed these three people to Indonesia. This money is from my safe but why won't they refund my money.”
“This is my personal money. If my wife comes out with this money you can endure it, but this is my personal money to go print party attributes”.
According to Law Number 5/2013 on Preventing and Combating Money Laundering and the Financing of Terrorism in chapter II (prevention) in article 7, paragraph one, said that any natural person who, when entering or leaving the territory of Timor -Eastern Carry Cash or Marketable Bearer Securities in an amount equal to or greater than 10,000.00 US Dollars must declare the amount transported to customs authorities.
With the guidance of this law, the Criminal Investigation Scientific Police is continuing an in-depth investigation into this matter.
