Africa-Press – Angola. The directors of the Legal and Social Action Office and Veterans of the Fatherland of the Municipal Administration of Luau, Moxico province, are being accused of fuel smuggling, with the involvement of an alleged Vietnamese businessman.
The aforementioned citizens, who assume the positions of director of the Legal Office, Exchange and Support for Residents’ Committees, and of Social Action, Former Combatants and Veterans of the Homeland, respectively, face a criminal case.
Meanwhile, the injured parties, through a note, allege that the contacts made with the aforementioned businessman, known as Jimmy, aimed to help him find a pump for the fuel sales service at municipal level.
“This is a legal sale and not the other way around”, explain the defendants, in a note.
Municipal Administration of Luau demarcates itself
Through a note of clarification, the Municipal Administration of Luau separated itself from involvement in the aforementioned act, arguing that the case is already within the domain of the police authorities.
According to the note “the Luau Administration is against the practice of fuel smuggling” encouraging residents to report this practice.
The Angolan Penal Code establishes a three-year prison sentence for fuel smuggling crimes.
However, with the aim of discouraging such practices, recently, deputies to the National Assembly considered, in particular, the proposal for a Law on Combating the Smuggling of Petroleum Products, initiated by the Executive.
The diploma, still under discussion, increases prison sentences from three to 12 years for those who smuggle gasoline, diesel, lighting oil and others, or violate legally applicable provisions.
The same criminal framework applies to anyone who steals or hides any petroleum products from the control and supervisory action of the competent authorities.
The document, already generally approved (with 157 votes in favor, zero against and no abstentions), will reinforce the criminalization of fuel smuggling and establish criminal frameworks that allow for the effective protection of legal assets.
In this sense, it determines that citizens in border areas who carry out commercialization, deposit, storage, supply and distribution, or encourage smuggling or illicit exportation activities will be punished with a sentence of three to 10 years in prison.
Likewise, the forgery of a license, instrument or document authorizing import or export for the exercise of petroleum activity will be punished with a prison sentence of two to six years, in addition to the cancellation of the license and prohibition from carrying out the activity for a period up to two years.
The diploma also provides that the penalties applicable to the crimes provided for in the previous articles are increased to one third of their minimum limit when, for example, smuggling causes, enhances or favors the occurrence of a national, regional or local energy crisis or when smuggling is committed at night.
Luau is one of the nine municipalities in the province of Moxico with 117 thousand and 215 inhabitants (projection, 2023/24, from the National Statistics Institute – INE). It is located 334 kilometers east of the city of Luena.
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