Tiago Amaral Sarmento

Tiago Amaral Sarmento (born 19 November 1974) is an East Timorese politician and lawyer.

From March 2023 to July 2023, he was the Minister of Justice, serving in the VIII Constitutional Government of East Timor led by Prime Minister Taur Matan Ruak.

Early life and education Sarmento was born in Fahi Berek, an Aldeia (village) in Suco , Viqueque, Portuguese Timor (now East Timor), to father Joao Augosto Sarmento, a catechist, and mother Recardinha Amaral Sarmento. He is the second-born of five brothers, the others being Téofilo Amaral Sarmento, Tome Amaral Sarmento, Tadeu Amaral Sarmento and Remendancia Amaral Sarmento. In particular, according to a press release issued by the UNCHR reporting on the debate, he asserted that there was:

"... an urgent need to ensure that there was a mandate for the continuation of the work of the Serious Crimes Unit and Special Panels after the expiration of the mandate of the United Nations Mission of Support in East Timor (UNMISET)." Between 2005 and 2008, he was the Secretary-General of the Association of Lawyers of East Timor ( (AATL)). On 17 June 2020, the Council of Ministers appointed him as a permanent member of the Superior Council of the Judiciary (, ), on the proposal of the Minister of Justice, Manuel Cárceres da Costa.

Political career On 22 March 2022, Sarmento was sworn in as the new Minister of Justice, succeeding Costa. Just over a week later, on 1 April 2022, he attended the launch of the Ecclesiastical Court of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Díli by the Archbishop of Díli and the Vatican's representative in East Timor. The function of the court is to deal with matrimonial cases in accordance with canon law.

Speaking at the launching ceremony, Sarmento said that the new court was not related to State courts, and that the government appreciated that the Archdiocese was establishing an important court for Catholics. The following month, June 2022, during a meeting with the Country Representative of the World Bank, he confirmed that he would give priority to the management of existing State-owned land and property, and would also focus on the assignment and distribution of land title certificates to private owners of land.

Also that month, Sarmento met with the East Timor Football Federation (FFTL), as representative of the International Association Football Federation (FIFA), and handed over documentation assigning the site of the National Stadium, including land known as , to the FFTL. The assignment, for a price to be agreed later, was made in connection with a long-term contract between the parties, under which the Stadium and other football fields in East Timor would be brought up to international standards, at FIFA's expense.

In July 2022, Sarmento announced that he would make every effort to ensure that the Public Defender's Office (DP) would become financially autonomous, and no longer be overseen by the Ministry of Justice [translation]:

"I have communicated with the opposition benches and the Government benches and they are ready to amend the Statute of the Public Defender's Office, so that the Public Defender's Office can become a financially and administratively autonomous institution."

Sarmento's tenure as Minister ended when the IX Constitutional Government took office on 1 July 2023. He was succeeded by .