NewsWhore
05-28-2007, 06:00 PM
Deputy Vinicio Castillo Seman writes in today's Listin Diario that Congress should be aware and under no circumstances should pass a bill to criminalize electricity theft such as the one currently under review in Congress and requested by the International Monetary Fund. Castillo writes: "Running its course is what can be described as a vulgar and unacceptable blackmail by IMF technocrats who seek to convert our legislators into submissive sheep who fulfill what is ordered by the all-powerful international finance police."
He explains that the IMF does not have the moral authority to call for energy theft to be penalized in this country because it is the same IMF that allowed the purchase of the power distributors from Union Fenosa for more than US$300 million when these were bankrupt. "Did the IMF call for penalties for those who carried out that true crime against the Republic?" he asks, commenting that instead of being penalized, the Mejia government that negotiated the deal was awarded a new agreement with the IMF in combination with the World Bank so that the Mejia government could have the resources to seek reelection.
However, Castillo's main concern is that the IMF is not calling for the criminalization of all energy fraud. "Is the IMF in agreement that the power the distributors steal from consumers should also be criminalized?" "Can we continue to merely label this power as "bills for energy not served the power," and continue to bill for this along with the billing for energy that is supplied, he wonders. "Is that not robbery?" he asks Economy Minister Temistocles Montas, the main supporter of the passing of the criminalization bill that seeks to increase power distributors' revenue so the government may reduce its subsidy to the sector.
Castillo says that if prison penalties are approved for consumers, they need to be approved for the executives of the companies that do the same to consumers.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#5)
He explains that the IMF does not have the moral authority to call for energy theft to be penalized in this country because it is the same IMF that allowed the purchase of the power distributors from Union Fenosa for more than US$300 million when these were bankrupt. "Did the IMF call for penalties for those who carried out that true crime against the Republic?" he asks, commenting that instead of being penalized, the Mejia government that negotiated the deal was awarded a new agreement with the IMF in combination with the World Bank so that the Mejia government could have the resources to seek reelection.
However, Castillo's main concern is that the IMF is not calling for the criminalization of all energy fraud. "Is the IMF in agreement that the power the distributors steal from consumers should also be criminalized?" "Can we continue to merely label this power as "bills for energy not served the power," and continue to bill for this along with the billing for energy that is supplied, he wonders. "Is that not robbery?" he asks Economy Minister Temistocles Montas, the main supporter of the passing of the criminalization bill that seeks to increase power distributors' revenue so the government may reduce its subsidy to the sector.
Castillo says that if prison penalties are approved for consumers, they need to be approved for the executives of the companies that do the same to consumers.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#5)