Dili, July 2, 2026 (Media Democracia) – Dili Court of First Instance (TJPID), through Duty Judge Ercília de Jesus, issued an order to apply the coercive measure of Preventive Detention to the defendant with initials “D”, because it considers there is strong evidence that the defendant was involved in four crimes that the Public Prosecutor’s Office has brought against him.
The four crimes that the Public Prosecutor’s Office brought against the defendant are: Criminal Association, under Article 188 of the Penal Code; Illicit Exploitation of Gambling, under Article 322 of the Penal Code; Money Laundering, under Article 313 of the Penal Code; and Tax Fraud, under Article 314 of the Penal Code.
The defendant with initials “D” is suspected of being the manager of a scam call center operation in the Tibar area, Bazartete Administrative Post, Liquiçá Municipality. This location was where the Timor-Leste National Police carried out a search and seizure operation on Friday morning (26/6), because it was suspected that illegal online scam call center activity was taking place.
In the order, the Court also applied the coercive measure of Periodic Presentation to 60 other defendants, with the obligation to present themselves once a week, on Fridays, at the police station nearest to their residence.
In the same order, the Court also decided to apply the coercive measure of bail payment to the 60 defendants. According to the decision, each defendant has an obligation to pay bail of two thousand five hundred US dollars (US$2,500) within ten (10) days, counting from the day the Court issued the order.
The Court also warned that if the 60 defendants fail to comply with the obligation to pay bail within the determined deadline, they may face legal and criminal consequences according to the provisions of the law.
Report By: Estefania Cardoso
Photo By: Estefania Cardoso