Cabinet endorses law to ensure fair competition

The Council of Ministers chaired by Crown Prince Salman, deputy premier and minister of defense, endorsed on Tuesday a new law to promote fair competition.
The Cabinet amended the organization’s name to “the Competition Council,” announcing the body’s legal objectivity as well as its administrative and financial independence. Based in Riyadh, it will have the right to set up offices in the Kingdom’s regions.
The Cabinet also decided to reshuffle the council, which will be chaired by the Minister of Commerce and Industry. It will have representatives from the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Economy and Planning, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, and the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority, in addition to four experts.
“The council will control and supervise competition and will have a number of tasks and functions. In addition, it will adopt draft plans, policies and regulations regarding competition according to the applied statutory procedures,” according to a statement from the Cabinet.
The council will monitor the market to ensure the application of the rules of fair competition. It will approve measures of investigation, search and collection of evidence to detect unfair competition based on complaints or on the initiative of the board.
“It will also spread a culture of competition and enhance public awareness about the rights guaranteed by the law and will establish an interactive channel with the community through the Internet,” the Cabinet reported.
Meanwhile, Interior Minister Prince Muhammad bin Naif briefed the Cabinet on the outcome of the 20th annual meeting of regional governors in Jeddah.
While reviewing the latest regional and international developments, Cabinet members stressed the need to end all kinds of genocide against Syrian people perpetrated by Bashar Assad’s regime, describing it as the worst form of human rights violation.
The Minister of Civil Service has been authorized to discuss with the Moroccan side a draft agreement for cooperation in the field of civil service.
The Cabinet also appointed Ali bin Abdullah Al-Salem administrative adviser at the Ministry of Defense; Saad bin Saleh Al-Wateed administrative adviser at the Ministry of Finance; Hadloul bin Hussein Al-Hadloul undersecretary for road affairs at the Ministry of Transport; Abdullah bin Ahmed bi Al-Tawi director of the Ministry of Social Affairs’ branch office in Makkah; and Mohammed bin Makni Al-Buqami director general of information technology at the Ministry of Social Affairs.
The Cabinet also expressed its condemnation of the terrorist bombing of a mosque in Bahrain while worshippers were performing night prayers, describing it as a sinful terrorist act aimed to destabilize the country and kill and terrorize innocent people.