Constitutional Court Chief Justice Suhartoyo received a visit from Timor Leste High Court President Afonso Carmona and Ambassador Roberto Sarmento de Oliveira Soares on Friday (July, 11) in the Constitutional Court Building. Photo by Public Relations/Ifa.

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JAKARTA (MKRI) - Timor Leste High Court or Tribunal de Recurso de Timor Leste visited the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Indonesia (MKRI) on Friday (11/7/2025). The delegation was led by the President of the High Court of Timor Leste Afonso Carmona together with the Ambassador Roberto Sarmento de Oliveira Soares, Advisor Duarte Tilman, Director General Higino Soares, and Protocol Staff Delbina dos Santos, received directly by the Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court of Indonesia Suhartoyo, Secretary General Heru Setiawan, Head of the Bureau of Public Relations and Protocol Pan Mohamad Faiz Kusuma Wijaya.

"We really hope for the support of you [the Court] in supporting our activities in Timor Leste," said Carmona in the 10th Floor Delegation Room of Building 1 of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Indonesia in Jakarta.

He explained that Timor-Leste is working on establishing a Supreme Court. Currently, the Supreme Court's authority is vested in the High Court as the highest court. This court has supreme jurisdiction over all legal, constitutional, and electoral matters. The High Court also has a role in reviewing decisions of first-instance courts and examining procedural violations or improper application of the law.

According to Afonso, the visit to the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Indonesia (MKRI) was intended to broaden his knowledge of the judicial institution. He hoped Timor Leste could collaborate with MKRI on training judges in carrying out their duties and functions as judicial authorities.

At the meeting, Chief Justice Suhartoyo briefly discussed legal developments in Indonesia, including the history of the Constitutional Court's formation and the judicial system in Indonesia. He expressed his support for the continued advancement and development of the judiciary in Timor-Leste, particularly in strengthening and enforcing the law, democracy, and human rights.

"The law is a crystallization of citizens' constitutional rights, and it must not violate the sense of justice, legal uncertainty, or the constitutional rights of citizens," he said.

Suhartoyo also welcomed the Timor Leste High Court's commitment to collaborating with the Indonesian Constitutional Court on training. MKRI can provide both resources, whether it is personnel or place for the training. Furthermore, he welcomed Timor-Leste desire to join the Association of Asian Constitutional Courts and Equivalent Institutions (AACC). He stated that Timor-Leste High Court could actively participate in international justices' forums.

For your information, Timor-Leste is the newest sovereign state in the 21st century to adhere to the principle of separation of powers. In 2000, the United Nations Transitional Administration (UNTAET) established an interim judicial system consisting of a small number of Timorese judges, prosecutors, and public defenders. The first group of judges was appointed on January 7th, 2000.

Following the restoration of independence on 20th May 2002, Timor-Leste witnessed the inauguration of its first 27 national judges, prosecutors and public defenders on 21st June 2007. They were graduates of the Legal Training Centre in Caicoli and trained through the UNDP Judicial Strengthening Programme supported by various partner countries.

As part of the institutional transition, the High Court (Tribunal de Recurso) was officially established on 20 May 2002 based on Article 124 of the Constitution, with its composition and functions regulated in Article 125.

 

Author       : Mimi Kartika.
Editor        : N. Rosi.`
Translator  : SO

Disclaimer: The original version of the news is in Indonesian. In case of any differences between the English and the Indonesian versions, the Indonesian version prevails.

 

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