Longuinos Monteiro (PNTL Commander) Involved in Cover Up Over Missing Weapons

PNTL Commander Longuinos Monteiro training for community policing.

The Timorese National Police are still losing weapons and the President of the Republic has raised his concerns with the Secretary of State for Security Fransisco Guterres. President Taur Matan Ruak has asked Francisco Guterres to instruct PNTL to recover the recently missing FNC semi automatic assault rifle without delay.

General Lere Anan Timor Chief of the Defence Force F-FDTL

General Lere Anan Timor Chief of the Defence Force has publicly called for the immediate dismissal of the police commander responsible for losing weapons. Lere has stated that "the PNTL member must punished for his mistake, if this happen in FDTL the soldier must be sacked immediately".

Tempo Semanal has learned that the PNTL Commander Longuinos Monteiro has not been truthful over the matter of his police service losing weapons and associated disciplinary matters.  He has stated in media and press conferences that the officer responsible has been suspended two weeks ago but it has only happened 3 days ago, and the officer in question retains access to government assets.  Citizens may contact Monteiro on facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/longuinhos.monteiro

Tempo Semanal has reported previously on this issue on 9 August 2012 here, and on 11 August 2012 here.

The FNC rifle in question was held by the PNTL Intelligence Unit Commander, Octavio Araujo, in PNTL HQ in Dili.

Tempo Semanal broke the story in 9 August 2012 and it has been picked up be all Timorese media since.

Since then the PNTL commissioner Longuinos Monteiro has told the public that Mr. Octavio Araujo has been under investigation and suspended from his post. But Tempo Semanal has learned that this is not truthful or factual. 

Monteiro told media and public that the missing weapons was not of concern, and that he was conducting investigations.

Mr. Araujo only received a suspension letter on 22 August signed by the PNTL Commissioner.  But Tempo Semanal PNTL sources state that “Mr. Octavio Araujo was suspended from his post on Tuesday this week after getting the suspension letter from the General Commander. But he still has his Government mobile phone and his official car,” said a senior PNTL commander who asked Tempo Semanal not to name him.

Tempo Semanal found that on the evening that Mr. Octavio Araujo "lost" is FNC rifle he was driving his Operational Commander vehicle with number plate 16.002.

According to eyewitnesses in the Indonesian Food Bar, they told Tempo Semanal that Mr. Araujo came to the bar with a Timorese woman  "The car was park here inside this place but we didn’t see he had an FNC rifle. He was drunk. Maybe the gun was in the car I don’t know,” said a person familiar with the bar.

The PNTL considers the woman a suspect in the lost or stolen weapon and PNTL has conducted an investigation but have today discovered that the suspect has fled country to Indonesia soon after the investigation became apparent.

“Some PNTL officers has came to the house today with notification papers but the Ms A. has left for Indonesia,” said neighbor of the suspect to Tempo Semanal.

In the mean time the investigation inside PNTL has not started yet said a source close to the Investigation Commander unit in PNTL headquarter Dili. According to Tempo Semanal sources Mr. Jorge Monteiro, Commander of Internal Investigations, has yet to decide to investigate the suspended PNTL member.  Mr. Monteiro is himself a suspect in many previous cases of police misconduct.

When Tempo Semanal asked a PNTL officer from the Investigation Unit if a police suspect had fled to Indonesia he responded by saying that they could not find her.


The weapon is presumed to be with Timorese civilians but PNTL officers are blaming one another for the the weapon's loss due to competing interests among PNTL officers for the position of General Commander.

Tempo Semanal sources indicate that current Police Commissioner Longuinous Monteiro is viewed as being ineffective and incompetent by political leadership.