Dr. Abdulaziz Al-Khwaiter, deputy minister of finance, inaugurated the forum on Sunday, addressing more than 500 delegates from the Kingdom and Gulf region.
The forum approved a set of recommendations, dubbed the Riyadh Declaration, to protect consumers against commercial fraud.
The members insisted that a toll-free line would help the consumers to check whether they are purchasing authentic goods.
At least seven million counterfeit products were seized at the Saudi Customs checkpoints in 2009, an 84 percent increase over the previous year.
It was also recommended that more laboratories should be set up in the Kingdom to verify products imported into the country.
Delegates also felt that there should be invisible bar codes on the products to enable authorities to distinguish between fake and original products.
During Tuesday’s sessions, a number of international experts and local specialists reviewed the internal and external controls ensuring the safety of domestic and imported products.
During the session on commercial fraud and imitation in the context of Islamic law, session chairman Sheikh Hamad Ali, vice president of the Court of Grievances, pointed to the effectiveness of judicial institutions in developed countries.
“The more we spread awareness and knowledge among members of society about the authority and role of the judiciary, the more secure, blessed and affluent we would be,” he said.
“If we glance at some countries that are void of jurisdiction and fair play, legitimacy has been marginalized. Such societies become a jungle where aggressors are not deterred from committing crimes, and you would see a lack of stability and security, not to mention chaos of all kinds, whether it is political, economic or social.”
Abdullah bin Muqhem Al-Muqhem, director of the legal department at Saudi Customs, presented a working paper on the role of preliminary customs committees that dealt with what constitutes commercial fraud and the composition, duties and proceedings of customs.
Naif bin Sultan Al-Sharif, chairman of the appeals department at Jeddah Customs, presented another working paper on the role of customs committees of appeal.
Mohammed bin Ahmed Alkanhal, chief executive officer of the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA), Saleh bin Suleiman Al-Khalil, undersecretary of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry for Consumer Affairs and Dr. Keno Mekoria, secretary-general of the World Customs Organization in Brussels, also spoke during the session.
The session drew attention to the importance of the cooperation of companies and institutions and the owners of original brands and trademarks with the Ministry of Commerce and Industry to root out counterfeiting.
Another session was allocated to examine practical experiences from the use of non-genuine automotive spare parts and tires, presented by Maj. General Suleiman bin Abdel Rahman Al-Ajlan, director general of the Traffic Department and Col. Dr. Mohammed Shabab Al-Baqmi from the General Traffic Department in Taif.
