Saudi Gazette report

BURAIDAH — The Ministry of Commerce and Investment has defamed a citizen and an expat of Asian nationality after a court found them guilty of commercial cover-up.

The expat was working on his own account, buying and selling dates in Buraidah in Qassim province in collusion with the citizen.

The Criminal Court in Buraidah imposed a fine on both violators and ordered the deportation of the expat after the execution of the sentence. The expatriate will be blacklisted and will not be allowed to come back to the Kingdom for work.

The court also ordered defamation of the two by publishing the ruling in a local newspaper at their expense.

The MCI inspectors were able to set up evidence and documents proving that the citizen had been enabling the expat to practice the trading activity on his own account. Accordingly, both of them were summoned by the ministry for further investigation and to hear their side.

Then the case was referred to the judicial authorities for taking the necessary legal measures in accordance with the Anti-Commercial Concealment Law.

Three weeks ago, the ministry had defamed three other expats convicted of commercial concealment for buying and selling dates in Onaizah, Qassim region.

The violations were detected after the ministry carried out an inspection campaign on shops and markets specialized in selling dates in Buraidah and Onaizah.

According to regulations relevant to Anti-Commercial Concealment Law, a non-Saudi shall not in any way practice or invest in any trade activity he is not licensed or allowed to practice. Any citizen who enables the non-Saudi to invest in or practice any trade activity, whether by using his name, or license, or C.R., or in any other way, will be considered a concealer.

The ministry is endeavoring to control and eradicate any violations related to commercial cover-up by imposing stiff penalties that may reach to two-year imprisonment, a fine of SR1 million for each offender, deportation and blacklisting of non-Saudis, and defaming the violators in the local media at their own expense.

The ministry has urged the consumers to report any cases of commercial concealment through its Call Center number 1900, or the Commercial Violation Report app, or via its website. Notably, The ministry will grant the informer an award up to 30 percent of the value of the fine imposed after its collection.

The ministry is constantly endeavoring to combat the phenomenon of commercial cover-up by all means and to create a market environment free of any violations for citizens to practice their business activities safely.