RIYADH, 22 November 2005 — Commercial fraud is a serious problem in the Kingdom and it is becoming increasingly common. Many businesses do not hesitate to sell spoiled food or out-of-date products in order to make a few riyals profit, according to Al-Riyadh newspaper. Their last concern is the health of consumers.
Members of the public have criticized the way the Ministry of Commerce deals with businessmen guilty of commercial fraud. The businessmen are not named and exposed in public. People also criticize the light punishment often imposed on these businessmen, which is not usually more than closing the shop for a week and paying a fine of SR5,000.
Newspapers often carry stories of out-of-date products and spoiled food being seized by the ministry before they are on the market. The ministry destroys what it seizes but large quantities still manage to find their way onto the market. The danger is great when the products include food and medicine. What is most discouraging is that many of the offenders are well-known businessmen who are trusted by the public.
Many Saudis say that merely announcing the seizure of products is not enough. The offenders should be named and publicly shamed. Because the present punishment is so light, some businessmen are not deterred from committing offenses. In the last two months in Jeddah, the ministry has seized more than 100,000 tons of goods and this is estimated to be only 10 percent of what is already in the market.
Many believe that the anti-fraud department in the Ministry of Commerce is doing its best. Others believe that it targets only some businessmen and ignores others. They ask why the ministry does not announce names if it is genuinely concerned about consumers’ health. They say that the names of offenders should be announced in the press and their faces shown on TV. People believe that this would be a much greater deterrent than the light punishments meted out at present.
Dr. Yasir Al-Ghamdi, manager of health affairs in Makkah, said that announcing the seizure of out-of-date medications and food has little meaning if the public cannot connect the items with a name and a face.
