Soyo - The installation of satellite positioning systems (GPS) in tanker trucks carrying fuel to inner zones of the country was suggested on Wednesday in Soyo, Zaire province, as a mechanism to strengthen the fight against the smuggling of petroleum products.
The proposal is expressed in the final communiqué of the 4th extended meeting of the Northern Judicial Region of the Attorney General's Office (PGR), which took place over two days in the city of Soyo, in which representatives of the provinces of Zaire, Bengo, Cabinda, Uíge, Kwanza Norte and Malanje participated.
The attendants considered the phenomenon of fuel smuggling in the northern border provinces of the country to be critical, so they defended the installation of GPS in fuel trucks as one of the ways to counter this practice.
These satellite positioning control (GPS) devices, according to the final communiqué, would make it possible to control the movement of tanker trucks that supply fuel to different regions of the country, from the point of departure to the destination.
They also suggested that the penal framework for fuel smuggling should be tightened.
The meeting also recommended the continuous investment in the training of magistrates and judicial technicians in technical-procedural matters, aiming at improving their performance.
Greater rigour in the performance of public magistrates in the control of pre-trial detention, improvement of their coordination with guarantee judges and in the interaction between the PGR, the Criminal Police Bodies and the Prison Service, are also among the recommendations.
They also requested the reinforcement of the number of Public Prosecutors, judicial technicians, as well as an increase in the financial allocation and support vehicles for the secretariats.
The meeting addressed topics such as “State legislative policy in the fight against fuel smuggling”, “Traffic control and fuel supply”, as well as “Tax offences”.
Under the motto “The role of the Public Prosecutor's Office in the fight against cross-border crimes”, the 4th extended meeting of the Northern Judicial Region of the PGR was chaired by the Deputy Attorney General of the Republic, Gilberto Mizalaque Vunge. JFC/PMV/JL/DOJ
