Australian bishop clears interpreter of wrongdoing at Nahaek School No. 9

By; CJITL

A simmering controversy over construction funds for Nahaek School No. 9 has been clarified by retired Bishop Hilton Forrest Deakin, who says his church community in Australia never sent any money to Timor.

Parents and teachers in Nahaek, a suburb of Dili, say they have been waiting since 2003 for promised cash donations from the Australians. They say they have gone into debt buying contruction materials in the expectation they would receive the cash.

Some say they think the money was stolen by an interpreter who worked with the Australians, a charge the interpreter flatly denies. The bishop’s account of events supports that of the interpreter.

In a February visit to Dili, Deakin explained that while the church sent humanitarian aid to the Nahaek school, it does not make cash grants and did not send money to Timor. He said he regrets any misunderstanding about the matter.

“It seems my name has been used without my knowledge,” the bishop said in an interview with CJITL reporters. “We have never done any business with the bank.”

Expectations were first raised in 2003, when a delegation from Deakin’s Melbourne diocese visited Nahaek and promised to support efforts to reconstruct the school. Community residents say the interpreter for the delegation was Mouzhino Nunes of Same.

The delegation sent 37 cartons of school supplies to Nahaek, including books, notebooks and games for children. Former school director Frankulina do Carmo said they also received some clothes, but no cash.

“I am ready to give testimony in court, if the case comes to court, because until now, no money has reached the school,” she said.

Casimiro Barreto, the chief of Nahaek village, told CJITL reporters that Nunes said the delegation had also promised a cash donation. “Mouzinho showed me the bank account (documents), but he didn’t give me the money,” said Barreto. “He told me he had taken the money, in the amount of $6,000, but he didn’t give the money to the teachers or the school.”

Joaninha, a teacher at the school, said Nunes had also showed her the account documents, although he did not tell her the name of the bank. Her husband wrote down the account number and noted “BNU” on the piece of paper.

“He promised to give us the (statement), but up until now he has been lying and he has escaped to Same with the money,” she said.

CJITL reporters checked the account number at three Dili banks: BNU, Mandiri, and ANZ, but none of the banks had an account with that number.

Nunes says he never got any money, and doesn’t know anything about any cash donations. “I never showed any bank account to the community in Nahaek.” He says he just interpreted for the Australian visitors and asked questions for them, and doesn’t know where the Nahaek community got the idea that a cash donation was coming.

Bishop Deakin said he hopes the communities will no longer suspect Nunes of wrongdoing, now that he has explained the Australians never sent any money to Nahaek.