The Ministry of Commerce has defamed two expats of Pakistani nationality after a court ruling, convicting them of violating the Anti-Commercial Fraud Law by storing, selling and packing adulterated flour in packages bearing counterfeit trademarks. They used to falsify the validity date with the aim of deluding and misleading the consumers by claiming that the flour is of high quality. They were marketing and selling the fake flour in Riyadh through exploiting the increase of demand during Corona pandemic.
The Ministry published the judicial ruling issued by the Criminal Court in Riyadh, including a fine against the violators, one-year imprisonment, besides deporting them from the Kingdom after the execution of the verdict, and not to be allowed to return for work, confiscating and destroying the seized products and tools used in counterfeiting, and defamation by publishing the verdict in the local newspaper at the expense of the violators.
In details, MC inspection teams follow-up a clip circulated on the social networking sites "Tik Tok" about labors who used to refill the flour products in small packages in unhealthy and illegal ways.
In cooperation with the joint security campaigns, MC inspectors raided the warehouse, in which the expats work, in Al-Sulaiy neighborhood, East of Riyadh. Consequently, 1100 bags of flour, weighing 45 kilos each, were seized, also 250 thousand empty bags of flour bearing the name of “Fine Flour”, also sewing machines, stamps and barcode labels, prepared for packing, storing and selling the adulterated flour.
Accordingly, the violators were referred to the concerned authorities for taking the legal measures against them and to impose the proper penalties in accordance with the Anti-Commercial Fraud Law.
The Ministry of Commerce affirms the continuation of addressing those violating the commercial regulations by imposing the proper penalties and taking the legal measures against them, since their act many pose risk on the health and safety of consumers. Notably, the Anti-Commercial Fraud Law stipulates imposing penalties of up to three-year imprisonment, a fine of up to one million riyals or both, and defaming the violators at their expense, besides deporting the violating expat from the Kingdom, and not to be allowed to return for work.
MC urges all consumers to lodge their complaints and reports about the violating establishments through MC Consumer Call Center (1900), or through the application of a Commercial Violation Report, or via the Ministry’s website.