In cooperation with the security authorities and the secretariat of Riyadh Region, MCI inspection teams have thwarted the attempt of three illegal laborers of Arab nationality to distribute and sell more than 2,000 expired and corrupted chickens, bearing forged production dates, aiming at distributing and selling them in the local markets. They exploited the increasing demand for goods and food supplies, due to Corona Virus crisis, and committed this violation.
The Ministry destroyed all the seized quantities immediately, and the owner of the warehouse and all the illegal labors were summoned by the Ministry, to be asked and to be held accountable for the fraud and counterfeiting, besides the enquiry about a suspected case of commercial cover-up. This is in preparation for referring the case to the Public Prosecution and then to the judiciary for taking the legal measures and imposing the proper penalties against the violators, according to the Anti-Commercial Fraud Law.
In details, the Ministry received a tip from a citizen stating that there is unpleasant odor coming out of the warehouse, and he suspected the movement of the labors and their suspicious activities. Accordingly, in cooperation with the joint security campaigns in Riyadh, together with the Police and the Environmental Health in the Municipality of Riyadh, MCI inspectors raided the warehouse and they found rotten and corrupted chicken outside the freezing rooms, and the labors used to forge the validity date, and provide transport vehicles to start the distribution in the markets.
The Ministry of Commerce would like to emphasize addressing all kinds of counterfeiting and fake practices, and it will not hesitate to take stern measures against those who try to manipulate or do harm to the health and safety of consumers by storing, offering or selling corrupted and expired products. The Ministry will impose the legal penalties against those who violate the Anti-Commercial Fraud Law. Notably, the penalties may reach to three-year imprisonment, fines of one million riyals or both, besides defamation in two local newspapers at the expense of the offender, also deporting the illegal labors from the Kingdom, as well as preventing the citizen from practicing the same trade activity.
The Ministry of Commerce calls on all consumers to lodge their reports and complaints through MCI Consumer Call Center (1900), or through the application of a Commercial Violation Report, or via the Ministry’s official website.