Luanda - The Cabinet Council on Monday approved three draft laws to be sent to the National Assembly, in particular the one on crimes of vandalized public goods and services.
Discussed during the meeting chaired by the President of the Republic, João Lourenço, the proposed Law on Crimes of Vandalism of Public Goods and Services is a piece of legislation that constitutes a specialized legal framework for combating the vandalism of public goods and services, improving the existing legal treatment and conforming the current regime to the evolving needs of preventing and tackle this type of crime.
According to the meeting's final communique, the government has considered that the behavior that constitutes vandalism of public goods and services has caused great damage to the Angolan state.
It adds that this puts at risk the sustainability of public investment made to meet collective needs, which should be criminalized, since they have a decisive impact on preserving the national economy and sustainable development.
Adão de Almeida, Minister of State and Chief of Staff to the President of the Republic, said the draft aims to introduce a new vision in the process of predicting offences and sanctions for the main offenders.
The minister explained that what is new is the approach to the whole process of committing a crime, which goes from the perpetrator to all those who instigate, finance and sponsor these actions.
Those who buy, confirm, public goods as a result of committing the crime of vandalizing and destroying public property will also be penalized.
According to the minister, offences of destruction of public property, damage to public property, breach of security, theft of public property and receiving public property are all criminal offences, with a special aggravation of the penalty provided for when public officials are involved in the instigation.
As an accessory penalty, for cases in which foreign citizens may have been involved, it is foreseen that in addition to the custodial sentence, the penalty of expulsion from national territory may also be applied, after the prison sentence has been served.
As for the penalties, the minister said they vary according to the nature and seriousness of the crime and the quality of the perpetrator, giving the example of destruction of public property, which carries prison sentences of between five to 10 years.
The minister added that damages to public property, with a small, high or considerably high value, the sentences range from three to 15 years in prison.
Cabinet also discussed the Law on the Special Regime for the Provision and Consumption of Alcoholic Beverages, which establishes a special regime for the provision and consumption of alcoholic beverages within the perimeters of hospital, military, police and educational institutions, since the excessive consumption of these beverages has health consequences, jeopardizing professional practice and interfering with school learning and intellectual capacity in general.
According to the statement, with the approval of this law, the government intends to regulate the commercial activity of alcoholic beverages, making it compatible with the state's objectives of guaranteeing public safety and protecting young people.
The law that makes a one-off amendment to the Anti-Doping Law in sport, in order to adapt it to the requirements of the international bodies regulating the matter in question, thus avoiding the application of sanctions to national athletes in international competitions and the loss of opportunities to host sporting events of an international nature, was also analyzed.
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