RIYADH, 1 August — A Commerce Ministry squad yesterday raided an unlicensed printing press on Aashi Street in Riyadh’s Manfouha district after receiving a tip-off that it has been supplying forged trade marks of US and Japanese automobile companies to spare parts traders.
Dr. Abdul Ali Al-Abdul Ali, director of the ministry’s department for combating commercial fraud, told Arab News that the press was run by a group of expatriate workers in an old building in the city. “Made in Japan and Made in the United States” stickers that had been pasted on cartons of imitation spare parts were printed at the press.
The officials seized 20,000 stickers of Toyota, AC Delco, Honda, Dodge and Ford printed at the press. They also confiscated materials and equipment used for forging the stickers.
The ministry closed down the press and called its owner for questioning. The case will be referred to the committee for combating commercial forgery. The ministry’s inspectors in cooperation with security officials carried out the raid with Ibrahim Al-Turki, director of the anti-fraud department at Abdul Lateef Jameel Group, agents of Toyota and Lexus cars in the Kingdom.
Abdul Ali stressed the importance of cooperation between the anti-fraud department and citizens to combat illegal commercial activities harmful to consumers.
He said names of companies and businessmen involved in commercial fraud would be publicized as per the directives of Commerce Minister Osama Faqeeh.
Abdul Ali said his department had intensified inspection of factories, warehouses and shops to prevent sales of fake and imitation products in the market. “We will not show any leniency to violators of trade regulations and will impose deterrent punishments on them,” he said.
Meanwhile, the anti-fraud department expressed disappointment over passport officers’ failure in tracking down the illegal foreign workers who were running the press.
