This is within the Nationalization Campaign of the Telecom Sector, in Coordination and Cooperation with the Ministries of Labor, Municipal & Rural Affairs and Telecommunication
The Ministry of Commerce and Investment would like to ask the shop owners and wholesalers in the telecommunication sector to cooperate with the citizens and investors working in this field. This is for the implementation of the Ministerial decree related to the nationalization of the Telecom sector and its accessories. The Ministry confirmed that if the telecom shop owners and wholesalers refrain from dealing or selling telecom items to investors or citizens, it will be considered a violation to the provisions mentioned in Article (3/3) of the fines and penalties regulations. The fine may reach up to SR 5,000, with the closure of the shop for a week, in case of repeating the offense.
Meanwhile, MCI had announced earlier the implementation of intensive inspection tours on telecommunication shops in various regions of the Kingdom, starting from Monday 01.09. 1437 H, corresponding to 06.06.2016 AD, so as to detect the violators of Anti-Commercial Concealment Law, also to impose the legal penalties against the offenders, as well as to verify the commitment with the Ministerial Decree, stating the nationalization of telecom sector and its accessories, and the work in this activity will be limited on Saudis only. This is after the expiry of the first deadline of nationalization by 50%.
MCI would like to confirm its intention to refer the violators of the Anti-Commercial Concealment Law to the Bureau of Investigation and Public Prosecution, in preparation for referring them to the competent criminal court for taking the final verdicts. MCI warns the shop owners and individuals of cooperating with the offenders, so as not to be held liable and to avoid the legal penalties.
This comes within the on-going coordination and cooperation with the competent authorities to implement the Ministerial Decree related to the nationalization of telecom sector and its accessories, and this is part of MCI efforts and constant pursuit to diminish the phenomenon of commercial concealment, and to create a regular environment free of any trade irregularities, and to enable the citizens of practicing business safely.
According to the Rules & Regulations, the Ministry will implement all the fines and penalties against the violators of Anti-Commercial Concealment Law, which may reach up to two years' imprisonment, a fine of up to a million riyals for each violator, deporting the non-Saudis from the Kingdom, defamation of the offenders in the local newspapers at their own expense, in addition to other punishments, including the closure and liquidation of trade activity and writing off the commercial registration, and the prohibition of practicing the same business for a period of up to five years.
It is noteworthy that the Ministries of Commerce & Investment, Labor & Social Development, Municipal & Rural Affairs, Communications & Information Technology had granted the shop owners, working in the field of telecommunication and its accessories, a deadline until the first of Ramadan 1437 AH, to effect nationalization by 50%, then this sector to be fully nationalized on 01.12.1437 AH.