The Ministry of Commerce and Investment has defamed a citizen and an expatriate of Syrian nationality, after a court ruling convicted them of the crime of commercial concealment. The citizen was found guilty by enabling the expatriate to engage in commercial activity and using his commercial register and working for his own account in the field of contracting activity in Riyadh. Accordingly, the defendants were referred to judicial authority for taking the legal measures against them, in accordance with the Anti-Commercial Concealment Law.
The judgment was issued by the criminal court in Riyadh, convicting the defendants and imposing a fine on them, also closing the establishment, liquidating the trade activity and canceling the license, collecting zakat, fees and taxes, writing off the commercial register and preventing the citizen from practicing the same trade activity, in addition to deporting the expat from the kingdom after the execution of the judgment, and not to be allowed to return to the kingdom for work, besides publishing the verdict in a local newspaper at the expense of the violators.
The Ministry of Commerce and Investment calls on all citizens and residents in all regions of the Kingdom to report cases of commercial concealment through the Ministry's Consumer Call Center (1900) or through the application of a Commercial Violation Report, or via the Ministry's website. Notably, MCI is granting an award of up to 30% of the total sentenced fines after collection. The fine may reach one million riyals against each violator.
It is worth mentioning that the Royal Supreme Authority has approved recently the implementation of the recommendations of the National Program for Combating the Commercial Concealment, which involves ten government agencies. This program aims to address and combat commercial concealment in all sectors, besides developing relevant regulations and legislations, also stimulating e-commerce and using technical solutions. This program aims as well at regulating and organizing the financial transactions to eliminate transferring of money abroad, as well as enhancing development in the private sector, also creating attractive jobs for Saudis and encouraging them to invest in various trade activities, more over finding solutions to the problem of illegal ownership of foreigners in the private sector.