Americo Lopes Pualaka Petroleun amiasa empresario australiano

Emprezario Australiano hetan amiasa hafoin nia du'un ema halo subornu

Mark Dodd – 18 Dezembru 2008

Tradus husi jornal The Australian

Empresario Australiano ida iha Timor-Leste dehan katak nia simu amiasa hasoru nia vida kuandu nia kestiona fali kontratu ida husi governu kusta $3.1 jutas nebe involve korrupsaun.

Jack Salatian, diretor no mos kaer saham iha Sunshine Petroleum, dehan katak nia hetan amiasa hafoin nia kestion kontratu nebe governu fo ba ninia kompetitor bainhira halo biding atu hatama kombustivel ba EDTL maski ninia kompetitor fa'an kombustivel 6 sen karun liu presu nebe nia fo.

Kompañia Pualaka Petroleum nebe Americo Lopes, Ministra Justisa Lucia Lobato nia la'en, maka kaer, mak hetan kontratu ne'e – desizaun ne'e halo ema barak iha Dili laran preokupa.

Sra. Lobato agora halo hela prosesu kontra Jose Belo, diretor Tempo Semanal, tanba difamasaun hafoin jornal ne fo sai istoria ida hodi foti kestaun seriu kona-ba kontratu ne.

Problema ida ne realsa filafali klaim kona-ba korrupsaun nebe sa'e maka'as iha nasaun kiak liu iha rejiaun Sudueste Asiatico – maioria korrupsaun ne ligadu ho ministru sira ho sira nia kaben.

Sr. Belo dehan katak kontratu ne hatudu favoritismu mak barak. Nia dehan ba The Australian katak baze nebe uza atu fo tender ne duvidoso tebtebes, liuliu tanba Sr. Lopes laiha kapital atu sosa kombustivel atu fornese ba EDTL.

Enves de ida ne, Ministerio das Financas fo fali despaisu ida ho kredit $3.1 jutas ba Americo Lopes. The Australia mos hetan asesu ba kopia ida husi karta ne.

Sr. Belo akuza Governu katak sira hakarak subar hotu korrupsaun sira ne hodi haruka nonok hotu midia iha nasaun laran.

Sr. Salatian dehan katak nia hetan amiasa ba ninia pesoa husi ezekutivu sira iha Pualaka Petroleum depois de nia hatudu ninia preokupasaun kona-ba kontratu ne'e, no ejiji ba kompanhia ne atu selu sira nia divida US$51,500 ba Sunshine.

Deputadu opozisaun husi Fretilin, Sr. Jose Teixeira rejeita Sra. Lobato nia deklarasaun katak nia inosente no husu nafatin ba Governu atu hasai kedan ministra ne.

Death threats after E Timor graft claim

Mark Dodd | December 18, 2008

Article from:  The Australian

AN Australian businessman in East Timor says he has received death threats after he questioned an allegedly corrupt $3.1 million government fuel contract.

Jack Salatian, a director and shareholder of Sunshine Petroleum, said he was threatened after questioning the awarding of a fuel contract to a rival bidder offering diesel fuel to the state electricity provider at US6c a litre higher than his bid.

The Pualaka Petroleum company, owned by Americo Lopes, the husband of East Timorese Justice Minister Lucia Lobato, was awarded the contract - a decision that led to widespread corruption concerns in Dili.

Ms Lobato is suing Jose Belo, managing editor of the weekly Tempo Semanal, for defamation after the newspaper ran a story that raised serious questions about the contract.

The row underscores claims of increasing corruption in Southeast Asia's poorest country - much of it allegedly linked to ministers and their spouses.

Mr Belo claims the contract smacks of favouritism. He told The Australian the grounds for awarding the tender were even more questionable, given Mr Lopes lacked funds to purchase the diesel fuel intended for the state electricity provider EDTL.

Instead, he was issued a Treasury letter of credit for $US3.1million, a copy of which has been obtained by The Australian.

Mr Belo accused the Government of covering up corruption by muzzling the country's media.

Mr Salatian has claimed his life was threatened by Pualaka Petroleum executives after he expressed concerns about the contract and demanded the company first settle a $US51,500 ($76,000) debt to Sunshine.

Fretilin opposition MP Jose Teixeira rejected Ms Lobato's claims of innocence and repeated his party's demand for the Government to sack the minister.