Paraguay proposes punishing illegal Bitcoin mining with jail time

The government of Paraguay, in its fight against Bitcoin mining with illegal electrical outlets, sent to the Congress of that country a bill that seeks to punish clandestine operators with several years in prison and authorizes the seizure of ASIC mining equipment. Bitcoin.

In a public announcement this Friday, presidential spokesperson Paula Carro reported that, as a matter of urgency, the Legislature is asked to study the bill that establishes, for example, imprisonment sentences, for up to 10 years, against illegal miners.

In the words of Carro, this project “seeks to protect the National Electricity Administration (ANDE) as a public company from a real threat that is the theft of large amounts of energy by illegal Bitcoin mining establishments.”

To establish the prison sentence, the legislative proposal seeks to modify the Penal Code of Paraguay, specifically article 173, with the idea of ​​increasing the sentence for up to a decade behind bars for the crime of energy theft.

On the other hand, the bill seeks to allow the seizure and confiscation “of the assets used in the commission of the punishable act.” They highlight ASIC mining equipment, electrical transformers and any other artifact used for mining.

The proposal also establishes that the ANDE may request the administration or provisional use of the seized assets. “And it will be the beneficiary of the proceeds from the confiscation, as a measure to strengthen that institution.”

The seizure of miners by the Paraguayan State, although it is intended to be legalized, is not something new. Since the beginning of this year, more than 5,000 ASIC miners have been confiscated in that country. This has been carried out in at least 17 raids on illegal mining farms that ANDE, together with security officials, has detected.

The Paraguayan government’s bill to combat illegal Bitcoin mining It’s not the first of its kind.. In the Congress of Paraguay there are several proposals that seek to remedy the situation, including, with a ban on all Bitcoin-related activity.

As CriptoNoticias reported, at least 14 deputies support a bill that seeks to prohibit Bitcoin mining until the situation with illegal energy intakes is regularized. However, this bill has been awaiting debate.

Beyond bills, there is a strong conviction on the part of the Paraguayan State to persecute and punish those who operate Bitcoin mining farms mining with unauthorized energy. The Public Ministry of Paraguay, ANDE and the Judiciary agreed to join forces to fight against this scourge, which has left millions of dollars in losses, according to the government.