AMBENO (TOP) – That day was Tuesday, January 18, 2022. The atmosphere in Sikluli was ordinary. Local residents carry out their daily activities as usual. MN, one of the Vice Presidents for the Special Regional Administrative Oe-Kusi Ambeno (RAEOA) has prepared himself to attend Prime Minister Taur Matan Ruak's visit to the enclave.
MN prepares everything to welcome PM's visit. One of the activities is to dress in traditional Oe-Kusi Ambeno and head straight to Iwao Kitara Harbor in Mahata. He never imagined that something would happen in his house. The only thing that crossed his mind was joy because that day there was a PM's visit. He never imagined that that day a joint team of investigators from the Anti-Corruption Commission (KAK) and the National Police for Criminal Investigation (PNSIK) would search his house which is located in Sikluli, Oe-Kusi city.
The joint investigative team searched MN's residence at 8 am Timor-Leste’s time because he was suspected of being involved in corruption and money laundry.
The search and seizure of the MN residence was ordered by the District Court of Oe-Kusi Ambeno with the criminal unit number NUC 0057/21.PDOEC, December 17, 2021, signed by Judge Yudi Pamungkas.
According to other information accessed by The Oe-Kusi Post (TOP) that, MN was previously a medic working in Oe-Kusi Ambeno, he from Naimeko village was a militant from the FRETILIN party, and when FRETILIN joined the government of Prime Minister Taur Matan Ruak in March 2020, MN was appointed as Vice Presidents for the Special Regional Administrative Oe-Kusi Ambeno (RAEOA) for social affairs to date.
MN is also suspected of being the owner of the company NABILAN CLEANING SERVICE UNIP. LDA which has reaped dozens of government projects since 2021.
According to Timor-Leste eProcurement.gov.tl, during 2021 this company had won 24 cleaning service projects from the local government, Special Regional Administrative of Oe-Kusi Ambeno (RAEOA) with a total budget $ 334,194.85 USD.
According to an official statement from the Anti-Corruption Commission (KAK), the court order authorizes KAK investigators to conduct search and seizure operations on a businessman and MN suspected of being involved in a big corruption scandal.
"KAK's team of investigators today carried out the operation because there is strong evidence that the defendants were involved in a money laundering case (article 313 of the Timor-Leste's penal code), a passive and active corruption case that occurred in the jurisdiction of Oe-Kusi Ambeno," an official statement from the Anti-Corruption Commission.
The Anti-Corruption Commission added that, it had carried out a long process of investigation and obtained strong evidence which led them to search and confiscate MN's residence under article 170 of Timor-Leste's Penal Code. The investigator team consisted of 9 people, 7 people from the Anti-Corruption Commission and two people from the National Police of Criminal Investigation section.
In the process of this operation, KAK has confiscated a large amount of US dollar in cash and has also confiscated other valuables such as a pile of gold.
The investigative team is currently still conducting an in-depth investigation of the confiscated items including other assets, and will be brought to the Oe-Kusi Ambeno district court for trial.
