Hey folks.
Lawmakers in Paraguay will be asked by the government to approve a bill proposing sentencing illegal miners of Bitcoin for up to a decade.
Paula Carro, the presidential spokesperson shared with the reporters on Friday, May 17, that the bill has been sent by the government to the parliament "as a matter of urgency".
According to Carro, the bill pursues to "punish" illegal miners with "multiple years in prison".
Police and prosecutors in Paraguay will also be able to confiscate mining equipment from unauthorized operators thanks to the draft law.
Additionally, Carro stated that the law "seeks to protect the state-owned National Electricity Administration (ANDE)," according to Criptonoticias.
Additionally, she said that “theft of large amounts of energy by illegal Bitcoin mining operators” was presenting a "threat" to ANDE.
According to the bill's provisions, judges may assign "a maximum sentence" of ten years in prison "for the crime of energy theft."
The plans also permit ANDE to request that mining rigs be seized by the police and sold, with the state-owned company being designated as "the beneficiary of the proceeds."
In Paraguay, the mining of Bitcoin has boomed where the lawmakers have struggled to bring it into the legal domain.
Paraguay has substantial resources of power that Bitcoin miners find perfect - namely surplus hydroelectric energy.
However, multiple Paraguay-based miners have looked to create illegal connections to grids, in recent years. Power providers are experiencing overload and other problems, according to their complaints.
In response, police have started to crack down. Officers have taken more than 5,000 ASIC miners into custody since the start of the year.
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