Paraguay Gov’t Looks to Jail Illegal Bitcoin Miners for ‘Up to 10 Years’
The government of Paraguay will ask lawmakers to approve a bill that proposes jailing illegal Bitcoin (BTC) miners for up to 10 years.
The presidential spokesperson Paula Carro told reporters on Friday May 17 that the government has sent the bill to parliament “as a matter of urgency.”
Carro said that the bill seeks to “punish” illegal miners with “multiple years in prison.”
The draft law will also allow Paraguayan police and prosecutors to seize mining equipment from illegal operators.
Per Criptonoticias, Carro also said the bill “seeks to protect the state-owned National Electricity Administration (ANDE).”
She added that the “theft of large amounts of energy by illegal Bitcoin mining operators” was posing a “threat” to ANDE.
The terms of the bill allow courts to impose “a maximum sentence” of a decade in jail “for the crime of energy theft.”
The proposals also allow ANDE to ask police to seize mining rigs and sell these off, with the state-run firm to be “the beneficiary of the proceeds.”
El gobierno Paraguayo sigue dando batalla a los mineros ilegales de bitcoin que roban energía eléctrica. Hoy, el Poder Ejecutivo, a través de la vocera presidencial Paula Carro, anunció que enviará al Congreso dos proyectos de ley para incautar equipos y establecer penas de hasta… pic.twitter.com/Tbt7MVKby7
— Joaquin Morinigo
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