Dili, 5 October 2001

CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY ADOPTS RULES AND PROCEDURES

East Timor's newly elected Constituent Assembly today unanimously adopted a set of Rules and Procedures for the 88-member body following a two-week debate.

The Rules and Procedures deal with the nature and function of the Assembly, internal competence, methodology for drafting the Constitution, languages used, immunities, rights and privileges of the Assembly members, organization of the assembly, and competence of the chair, among others.

The draft Rules and Procedures was presented by the Technical Committee, represented by Assembly member Lucia Lobato of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) on 26 September.

The Constituent Assembly, tasked with drafting a Constitution for an independent East Timor, was elected on 30 August and inaugurated by Transitional Administrator Sergio Vieira de Mello on 15 September.

REPORT: NO IRREGULARITIES ON HEALTH WAREHOUSE

No irregularities occurred in the selection of a contractor for the construction of the new Central Health Warehouse in Dili, the East Timor Inspector General Mariano Lopes da Cruz has concluded in a recent report.

"I have concluded that following a due process, the evaluation committee recommended awarding the construction contract to Tobishima Corporation for the amount of US$1,372,760. Tobishima Corporation met all of the requirements set down in the bidding documents," the Inspector General said in a report released last Wednesday.

However, the Inspector General recommends that the Health Project Management Unit of the East Timor Public Administration consider ways of making construction contracts more accessible to local East Timorese companies, "while still following due process and ensuring quality and completion."

The evaluation of the 16 bids received in March 2001 followed the practices and regulations of the World Bank, which is financing the construction of the warehouse.

The Inspector General, who reports to Chief Minister Marí Alkatiri, has issued reports on several matters including the recruitment of teachers, the acquisition of school furniture and the administration of the Dili Port.

In related news, the Inspector General will attend an International Conference Against Corruption in Prague, Czech Republic, from 7 to 11 October, organized by the International Independent Commission Against Corruption. Mariano Lopes da Cruz

will represent the East Timor Government together with António Silva from the NGO Forum, who will be representing civil society.