DOHA: The intensive inspections carried out by the Ministry of Economy and Commerce during the month of June resulted in cracking down on 30 violations.

The irregularities ranged from describing, advertising or displaying the item in a manner that contains false or deceptive statements, not issuing invoices in Arabic and not announcing the prices. Irregularities also included not complying with the mandatory prices for vegetables and fruits, and not complying with all the explanatory statements of the offered goods, requiring a price higher than the announced, and increasing the sale price of local Australian meat.

The penalties for the violating shops range from administrative closures to financial penalties ranging from QR5,000 to 30,000 according to the laws and decisions governing the work of the Consumer Protection Department.

These intensive campaigns by the Ministry of Economy and Commerce aim at monitoring the compliance of the suppliers with the consumer protection law, and come in the framework of the Ministry’s keenness to monitor the markets and commercial activities in the country in order to control prices and detect abuses in order to protect the rights of consumers.

The Ministry affirmed that it will be firm in the face of all those who neglect to carry out its obligations under the Consumer Protection Law and its executive regulations. It will intensify its inspection campaigns to control such practices and will transfer those who violate the laws and ministerial decisions organizing the work of the department to the competent authorities to take appropriate measures against it, to protect consumers rights.

The Ministry of Economy and Commerce urged all consumers to report any violations through its communication channels.