The Ministry of Commerce and Investment has granted a reward of 25,000 riyals to Mr. Hamad Faleh Al-Qahtani after reporting a commercial fraud case he has experienced. A verdict had been issued by the Administrative Court in Buraidah stating that the defendant (an Auto Agency) was found guilty of violating the Anti-Commercial Fraud Law, by handing over a second hand car to the citizen, claiming it is brand new, but it had already been crashed and repaired and it was contrary to what they had agreed upon. Thus the Auto Agency was fined SR 100.000.
For more details, the citizen bought a new car from the Auto Agency and paid the price fully. To his surprise, he was handed over a second hand car, which had been already crashed and repaired. Therefore, the citizen filed a complaint with the Ministry of Commerce and Investment, which started the necessary investigations and taking the legal procedures. Then the case was referred to the Public Prosecution for completing the investigation, then the case was referred to the Administrative Court, which issued a verdict imposing a fine on the said Agency, together with the relevant defamation for violating the Anti-Commercial Fraud Law. Finally, the citizen had been granted a reward by MCI branch manager in Qassim, Mr. Fahd Al Harbi.
Article (11) of the Anti-Commercial Fraud Law provides that anyone reporting a case of commercial fraud shall be granted 25% of the value of the fine after issuing the final judgment.
It is worth mentioning that the Ministry of Commerce and Investment has been honoring the consumers who lodge complaints and reports leading to the control of commercial violations. For example, H.E. the Minister of Commerce and Investment, Dr. Majid bin Abdullah Al Qassabi, has honored a number of citizens from different regions of the Kingdom by granting them financial rewards and in kind gifts for reporting and informing about commercial violations. The citizens’ cooperation leads to detect and seize more than 300 thousand counterfeit goods and 87 tons of corrupted foodstuffs before being distributed on the market.
In addition, MCI also honored 100 of the distinguished informers by granting them financial rewards and in kind gifts, concurrently with the World Consumer Day, corresponding to 15th March every year. This award is based on the mechanism adopted by MCI to honor the informers who lodge their complaints and submit reports through the application of a Commercial Violation Report. This is to motivate the citizens and informers to cooperate with the Ministry in combating the commercial fraud.
MCI would like to call on all consumers to cooperate and lodge their complaints and reports through MCI Consumer Call Center (1900), or through the application of a Commercial Violation Report, or via the Ministry's website.