Rio, 11 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - The National Petroleum Agency (ANP) says it will ask for legislation permitting it to levy stiffer punishments, says its director general, Sebastião do Rego Barros, adding that present fines are insufficient and lenient. ANP also wants to be more rigorous with licenses for importing and exporting fuels. Barros says the objective is not to complicate the opening of the market, but to set standards and remove irregularities, such as the recent case of 7.1 million liters of gasoline that disappeared when the Thork firm was about to export to Bolivia.

Barros also says studies are underway on a law for the natural gas sector to boost its development. (AB)