It involves an expectation from the powerful and the wealthy to look after the poor and the weak so that corrupt practices as well as illegal sources of money and resources are tolerated and overlooked.
President Jose Ramos-Horta, himself, acknowledged that corruption in Timor-Leste is rampant, specifically citing cases in customs, procurement, public works, and rice distribution.
Ramos-Horta identified less than 10 percent of civil servants are responsible for this scandal including the AMP Minister of Tourism, Commerce, and Industry, who acted in collusion with his extended family, for personal gains.
Allegations of corruption against the incumbent administration emerged after the leading FRETILIN opposition accused the minister of finance of doling out lucrative consultancies to underqualified friends.
These include the government's purchase of questionable and heavily polluting power plants from China in a transaction that avoided mandatory environmental impact study.
In 2007, oil and gas revenues from overseas investment allowed it to shoulder 87 percent of state expenditures, paying for a wide range of services, infrastructure, and other government projects.
[5]Critics also cited the Fund's involvement in the Greater Sunrise project, which attempted to develop gas reserves on Timor-Leste's southern coast.
In a 2015 study, 77 percent of the population believed that corruption, nepotism, and cronyism are present at various levels of the government and are perpetuated due to personal enrichment, low wages of public officials, lack of ethics, and poor anti-corruption law enforcement.
ACC is also supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), particularly in the area of institutional capacity, civic engagement, and analytical research.
The set of reforms launched focused on addressing several key areas, including public administration, fiscal and economic policies, and the legislative and judicial systems.