In an early morning operation, the inspection teams of the National Anti-Commercial Concealment Program carried out rigorous inspections at Al-Aziziya vegetable and fruit markets in Riyadh. The objective was to verify the adherence of businesses to the established market regulations while cracking down on concealment crimes and violations.
The inspectors busted concealment cases and 158 violations of trade, municipality, labor, residence and transportation regulations. This meticulously coordinated effort involved multiple government entities, including the Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture, Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development, General Authority of Transport, Zakat, Tax, and Customs Authority, General Directorate of Traffic, Riyadh Municipality, and the Field Control Force of the Riyadh region police.
During the operation, the teams took decisive action by apprehending workers involved in activities that violated the terms of their documented employment licenses. They also uncovered the existence of businesses operating without valid municipal licenses. Notably, vehicles engaged in the transportation of vegetables were seized due to their lack of valid or expired operating permits.
Furthermore, the vigilant teams discovered additional violations, including the failure to provide proper documentation proving ownership of the goods being transported in the vehicles. They also encountered instances of non-compliance with approved safety requirements and various other infractions.
Summoned before the appropriate authorities, the violators now face the full force of legal consequences for their actions. In accordance with the anti-concealment law, penalties of up to five years of imprisonment and fines reaching five million Saudi riyals await those found guilty, with the added measure of confiscating any ill-gotten gains after final court verdicts have been rendered against culprits.
Supplementary penalties, as prescribed by law, further underscore the severity of these transgressions. Closure of the implicated establishments, liquidation of their business operations, revocation of commercial registrations, and prohibition from future commercial engagements are just a few of the repercussions they now face. Moreover, compliance with zakat, fees, and taxes becomes mandatory, while those implicated in concealment may face deportation from the Kingdom, permanently barred from reentering for work purposes.