JUSTICE INSTITUTIONS STRENGTHENING PROGRAM (JISP)

The program, implemented by Management Sciences for Development, Inc. (MSD), has provided training and technical support in areas such as general administration, strategic planning, financial management, human resources administration, good governance, and anti-corruption practices. The core approach of MSD has been to provide parallel academic and practical training through long-term courses such as the Executive Financial Management and Training Support Program (EFMTS). JISP has also deployed experts and advisers to provide technical assistance and support for capacity-building in several justice agencies. A key objective of JISP has been to enable justice sector institutions to perform key management functions, enhance their effectiveness, develop greater efficiency in their day-to-day operations, and increase their capacity to perform mandated functions under the law. During the period under review, January to March 2012, the focus was on completing ongoing programs and executing close-out activities. Notable accomplishments included the completion of the delivery of an information management system to the Anti-Corruption Commission (CAC), the successful seeding of the National Anti-Corruption Learning Centre under CAC hosting, and the empowerment of justice institutions nationwide to manage and record cash transactions in a safe and accountable manner through the delivery and commissioning of an IT-based system. JISP also deployed an adviser to the Office of the Inspector General who completed a 42-page draft of the Organic Law for a National System of Control. The adviser's deployment ended on February 29, 2012. The Executive Financial Management Training Support Course (E-FMTS) and the Basic Auditing Course (BAC) concluded on March 9, 2012, with a graduation ceremony on March 15, 2012. In addition, JISP continued to work closely with the Anti-Corruption Commission and the Office of the Inspector General, providing training and technical support. The first prosecutions arising from the Anti-Corruption Commission's investigations were launched, with indictments issued in two cases and more expected imminently. Training of Anti-Corruption Commission investigators continued, with a focus on the use and analysis of information within the context of criminal investigations. JISP also provided continued administration and logistic support to the Anti-Corruption Commission, including the development of operational processes and the coordination of the delivery and receipt of IT equipment, office furniture, and supplies. The program funded the printing and distribution of the Anti-Corruption Commission's second newsletter, which contained a verbatim account of US Ambassador Judith Fergin's keynote speech at the anti-corruption event held in Manatutu on December 7, 2011. Furthermore, an IT expert completed the design and delivery of a computerized information management system in the Anti-Corruption Commission. The system has been thoroughly tested and has shown to be a safe and effective tool for the storage, management, and analysis of data. The Commissioner of the Anti-Corruption Commission has engaged the IT expert in a direct Government of Timor-Leste contract for 6 months to complete final testing of the system and extend training in its use and management throughout all departments of the commission. The National Anti-Corruption Learning Centre was supplied with its first reference material by JISP, including library shelving and over 400 learned works in Portuguese, English, and Tetun. The Commissioner of the Anti-Corruption Commission expects to appoint a librarian in the coming weeks to register the works and control their distribution and loans.