In statements to the press, in Soyo (Zaire), cited by Angop, the minister said that some individuals involved in fuel smuggling had been identified. Among them are rulers, former rulers, general officers, commission officers, administrative authorities in provincial and municipal terms and traditional authorities.
The minister said that more than half (52 percent) of fuel smuggling cases in Angola take place in Zaire, adding that the meeting was an opportunity to dialogue with provincial government authorities in order to jointly analyze strategies to combat this problem.
According to Francisco Furtado, "the country is experiencing a serious phenomenon which is fuel smuggling".
On the occasion, he also took the opportunity to remember that there is already a law that makes this conduct illegal, considering it a threat to the country's security.
The government official warned that those involved in this illegal activity will be punished by the law, and may even lose their positions, as happened in Lunda Norte and Lunda Sul, as part of the fight against illegal diamond mining.
According to the Minister of State, cited by Angop, the large number of fuel stations in the province of Zaire also contributes to the spread of smuggling, with Zaire receiving large volumes of fuel, but much of it ends up being diverted to the neighboring country (DRC).
Francisco Furtado identified the liberalization of the process of issuing licenses for the sale of products derived from petroleum as the main reason for the large number of gas stations in the area, guaranteeing that the commission will act to change this scenario and informing that one of the actions to be adopted to change this situation will involve controlling and inspecting fuel stations in Luanda and the trucks that take the product to the interior of Angola.
According to the minister, the team also decided to set a period of 30 days to stop illegal activities at the Kimbumba river terminal (Soyo), considering that this location has contributed significantly to the smuggling of various products into the DRC.
On the other hand, he also stated that work will be done to boost the Soyo passenger and freight river terminal, which is managed by Secil Marítima, with resources that have the capacity to boost the Soyo-Cabinda journey, writes Angop.
In addition to Francisco Furtado, the work meeting was also attended by Adriano Mendes de Carvalho, governor of Zaire.
