Saudi Arabia has been declared the most successful country in combating fraudulent products in 2012, according to the latest ranking issued by the World Customs Organization (WCO).
The Kingdom’s Customs Department topped a list of 179 WCO member countries, with the seizure of 36.5 percent of the total counterfeit goods and copyright violations in member countries last year, said a report issued at a meeting of the Council of Customs Cooperation, a subsidiary of the WCO, that met recently in Brussels.
The US customs stood in second place, with 14.9 percent of total seizures, while Chile came in third with 10 percent, followed by Italian customs at 7.7 percent.
“This recognition is a source of pride for all citizens in the Kingdom and reflects the Kingdom’s position internationally besides reinforcing its position in global trade negotiations,” Finance Minister Ibrahim Al-Assaf said in statement to the Saudi Press Agency on Thursday.
This also shows the success of Saudi customs in implementing “risk management in combating commercial fraud and imitation,” which has proved to be a burden on the national economy, he said.
Al-Assaf added that the volume of seized goods also denoted the aim of unscrupulous traders to make the Saudi market a center for their illegal activities.
Saudi customs wins global accolades
