This draft policy proceeds from the principle that public property belongs to the people. The State does not own it for the benefit of governing institutions or holders of public office; rather, it administers it in trust for present and future generations and for the public good. Railways, electricity and water networks, roads, bridges, hospitals, schools and other public facilities represent the accumulated efforts and resources of the people. Their destruction, appropriation or gross neglect therefore constitutes a direct assault on citizens\u2019 rights and on the country\u2019s capacity for recovery and development.<\/p>\n
This document focuses on physical, digital and service-related public assets and facilities. It does not regulate public revenues or the distribution of proceeds from minerals and natural resources, which are addressed in separate documents and policies. The provisions below remain proposals for discussion and review and shall not become adopted party policy unless approved by the Party\u2019s General Convention.<\/p>\n
1. Public property belongs to the people and may not be allocated or disposed of except pursuant to law, for a legitimate public purpose and through transparent procedures.<\/p>\n
2. Protection of public property includes preventing attacks upon it, maintaining it, operating it efficiently and not allowing it to deteriorate or be deliberately rendered inoperative.<\/p>\n
3. The federal government, regions, governorates and public authorities shall protect assets under their administration, with administrative and personal responsibilities clearly defined.<\/p>\n
4. Official, military or political immunity shall not shield anyone from accountability for offences against public property.<\/p>\n
5. Protection shall combine prevention, oversight, punishment, recovery of the asset and full compensation for damage.<\/p>\n
6. The mandatory penalty prescribed by law shall be imposed by an independent judiciary following a fair trial, with the rights of defence guaranteed and the offender\u2019s individual responsibility established.<\/p>\n
Public property includes, regardless of the authority administering it or its location, every asset established, owned or financed wholly or partly by the State to serve the public, including in particular:<\/p>\n
\u2022 Railways, tracks, stations, workshops, locomotives, carriages and associated signalling and communications systems.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Electricity generation stations, transmission and distribution networks, dams, transformers, equipment and control centres.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Water and sewage treatment facilities and networks, reservoirs, canals, public wells and irrigation facilities.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Roads, bridges, tunnels, ports, airports, harbours, public transport vehicles and associated facilities.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Hospitals, health centres, schools, universities, laboratories, libraries and public research centres.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Government buildings, regional and governorate offices, courts, civil defence, firefighting and ambulance centres.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Public telecommunications and postal networks, data centres, digital systems, government records, maps and archives.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Land, real estate, warehouses, machinery, vehicles, furniture and equipment owned by the State or its public bodies.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Museums, antiquities, manuscripts, historic sites, parks, squares and public cultural and sports facilities.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Any other facility or asset designated for public benefit by the Constitution or law, or financed by the public treasury.<\/p>\n
1. Establish a unified, up-to-date national register of public property stating each asset\u2019s description, location, value, responsible authority, technical condition and associated rights of use.<\/p>\n
2. Conduct physical inventories and digital documentation of assets, including identification numbers for equipment, vehicles and valuable components, and update the register upon creation, transfer or lawful disposal.<\/p>\n
3. Adopt and fund periodic maintenance plans through public budgets, and prohibit the deliberate postponement of maintenance to weaken a facility or justify its sale or privatisation.<\/p>\n
4. Prepare security, safety and emergency response plans for vital facilities, covering physical protection, cybersecurity and continuity of services.<\/p>\n
5. Identify the person directly responsible for each public facility and specify their duties regarding security, maintenance, reporting and prevention of unlawful use.<\/p>\n
6. Publish annual reports on the condition of public assets, maintenance works, incidents, losses and disposals, while protecting only such security information as is expressly specified by law.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Demolishing, burning, bombing, sabotaging or deliberately destroying or damaging any public property, wholly or partly.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Stealing equipment, fuel, wires, rails, pipes or spare parts, or removing, selling or purchasing them with knowledge of their public origin.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Unauthorised appropriation, occupation or private use of public buildings, land, vehicles or equipment.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Deliberately disrupting electricity, water, transport, communications, healthcare or educational services, including cyberattacks on operational systems and data.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Disposing of, leasing, mortgaging, exchanging or privatising a public asset contrary to law, below its fair value or for private benefit.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Falsifying records, concealing documents or altering an asset\u2019s description, value or ownership in order to facilitate its appropriation or evade accountability.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Gross negligence in guarding, maintaining or reporting where it exposes an important public asset to damage, loss or interruption of service.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Using public property for partisan, military or private commercial purposes without legal authority and a publicly disclosed fair consideration.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Looting, dismantling or unlawfully transporting assets during war, disturbances, disasters or periods of political transition.<\/p>\n
An offence shall be considered aggravated if it is committed against a vital facility; results in death, serious injury or widespread interruption of an essential service; is committed during war, disaster or public unrest; is carried out by an organised group; involves a public official or person responsible for protection; involves the use of official authority, weapons or advanced technical means; or is intended to harm public security or the national economy. Repeat offending, smuggling components of an asset abroad and concealing proceeds shall constitute additional aggravating circumstances.<\/p>\n
The Party proposes that the law prescribe a uniform and mandatory penalty for intentional attacks on public property, with no power for the court to substitute a lighter sentence, suspend its execution or reduce its duration, while preserving all guarantees of investigation, fair trial and the rights of defence.<\/p>\n
1. The offender shall be sentenced to imprisonment for one full year, and that sentence shall be mandatory and enforceable.<\/p>\n
2. The court may not impose an alternative to imprisonment, substitute a fine or community service for imprisonment, suspend execution of the sentence or reduce its duration.<\/p>\n
3. In addition to imprisonment, the offender shall be ordered to pay full compensation for the damage, including repair or replacement costs, losses resulting from interruption of services and expenses necessary to restore the asset to its former condition and operation.<\/p>\n
4. The convicted person shall be permanently disqualified from holding any public office, whether by appointment or election, and from standing for any public office or membership of any public council.<\/p>\n
5. An instigator, conspirator, aider, accomplice or person who knowingly conceals the asset or proceeds of the offence shall be treated as a principal offender in accordance with law.<\/p>\n
The return or repair of the asset, or payment of compensation, shall not prevent enforcement of imprisonment and disqualification from public office. The foregoing shall not prejudice the imposition of a more severe penalty where the same act also constitutes another offence carrying a heavier punishment under law, such as murder, terrorism or armed sabotage.<\/p>\n
1. A public official who orders, facilitates or conceals the offence shall be subject to the mandatory prison sentence and consequences prescribed in this document, without official or political immunity.<\/p>\n
2. Conviction for serious offences shall entail dismissal from employment and disqualification from public office or membership of the board of a public entity for the period specified in the judgment.<\/p>\n
3. A company or contractor shall be held liable where an offence is committed in its name or for its benefit as a result of a management decision or gross failure of oversight, without relieving the responsible natural persons of liability.<\/p>\n
4. Penalties against a legal person shall include disgorgement of profits, compensation, confiscation, exclusion from public procurement, and revocation of its licence or dissolution in extreme cases by judicial order, while imprisonment and disqualification shall apply to the responsible natural persons.<\/p>\n
5. No public authority may enter into a secret settlement concerning a serious offence or waive the people\u2019s right to recovery of the asset and compensation.<\/p>\n
Priority shall be given to restoring the asset and resuming the service as quickly as possible, followed by recovery of all money and benefits derived from the offence. The court may order the freezing and confiscation of instruments, proceeds and substitute assets purchased with criminal proceeds, while protecting the rights of bona fide third parties. Confiscation shall not enrich any particular government authority; the sums shall instead be allocated to restoration of the asset or to a publicly accountable treasury.<\/p>\n
Convicted persons shall be jointly and severally liable for repair or replacement costs, losses caused by interruption of service, response and investigation expenses, and compensation due to affected persons. Assets may be traced within and outside the country in accordance with treaties and law.<\/p>\n
1. Establish specialised prosecution and investigation units for offences against public property, equipped with engineering, financial and digital expertise.<\/p>\n
2. Authorise the Audit Office to inspect asset registers, maintenance plans, disposals and contracts, publish audit findings and promptly refer suspected criminal conduct.<\/p>\n
3. Establish a secure reporting mechanism and protect whistleblowers, witnesses and employees who refuse to carry out unlawful orders.<\/p>\n
4. Require public authorities to report loss, sabotage or service interruptions immediately, and prohibit concealment of incidents on the pretext of preserving an institution\u2019s reputation.<\/p>\n
5. Enable local communities, professional associations and civil society organisations to monitor the condition of public facilities and request information that is not classified on security grounds.<\/p>\n
Civilian public facilities, particularly those providing water, electricity, health, education and transport, are assets that must be protected during armed conflicts in accordance with national law and the rules of international humanitarian law. It shall be prohibited to use them as cover for military operations, loot them, move their equipment or alter their ownership by exploiting the absence of State institutions. Damage shall be documented as soon as practicable, and a national plan shall be prepared for restoring operations, reconstruction and recovery of movable assets.<\/p>\n
1. Conduct an urgent nationwide inventory within twelve months of all public property and facilities, identifying missing, damaged and appropriated assets.<\/p>\n
2. Suspend any sale, privatisation or change of use of strategic assets until the inventory and review are complete, except where a public necessity is authorised by a published law.<\/p>\n
3. Review disposals and contracts concluded during the war or periods without oversight, while respecting legitimate rights and not extinguishing any right except in accordance with law and fair procedures.<\/p>\n
4. Establish an urgent programme to protect and restore the operation of railways, electricity, water, hospitals and schools as national priorities.<\/p>\n
5. Preserve evidence, records, photographs and maps relating to damaged assets, and prohibit their destruction or alteration pending completion of investigations.<\/p>\n
This document is submitted as a draft vision of the New Independence Party for discussion and review. It shall not be added to the Party\u2019s adopted documents or become binding upon it unless approved by the Party\u2019s General Convention. Following approval, it shall form the basis of the Party\u2019s position on drafting constitutional provisions, legislation and policies concerning the protection of public property, provided that final criminal provisions are enacted by law in accordance with legality, proportionality, rights of defence and judicial independence.<\/p>\n
Protection of public property is not merely the protection of buildings or equipment; it is the protection of citizens\u2019 rights to water, electricity, transport, healthcare, education, security and development. The Party considers that genuine deterrence rests on severe penalties, full recovery of assets and proceeds, clear accountability of officials and companies, and public oversight that prevents offences before they occur, with everyone subject to the law without immunity or discrimination.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"menu_order":9,"template":"","document_collection":[50],"class_list":["post-212","party_document","type-party_document","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rmsdemo.com\/projects\/sudan-independent-party\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/party_document\/212","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rmsdemo.com\/projects\/sudan-independent-party\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/party_document"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rmsdemo.com\/projects\/sudan-independent-party\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/party_document"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/rmsdemo.com\/projects\/sudan-independent-party\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/party_document\/212\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rmsdemo.com\/projects\/sudan-independent-party\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=212"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"document_collection","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rmsdemo.com\/projects\/sudan-independent-party\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document_collection?post=212"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}