The Ministry of Economy and Commerce (MEC) has announced one-month closure of a retail outlet located on Al Matar Street for displaying and selling counterfeit sports products bearing international trademarks. 

The decision followed an inspection campaign carried out within the framework of the ministry’s efforts to monitor markets and commercial activities in order to crack down on price manipulation and uncover violations as well as counterfeit, fraudulent and substandard products, the MEC said in a statement Monday.
The outlet was fined and closed for a month in line with Article 7 of Law No 8 of 2008. Article 7 compels suppliers to clearly display, on the product’s package or label, the type and nature of the item as well as other relevant data. 
The law also prohibits the display of fraudulent descriptions, advertisements and misleading statements.


MEC official inspects the shop

An administrative closure announcement has to be published at the expense of the company or shop that commits the violation in accordance with Article 18 of Law No 8 on Consumer Protection, the statement notes. The law also stipulates that the closure decision shall be published on the MEC’s website and in two daily newspapers at the expense of the violating company.

The ministry has stressed that it will not tolerate any violations of the Consumer Protection Law and its regulations, and will intensify its inspection campaigns to crack down on violations. It will refer those who violate laws and ministerial decrees to the competent authorities, who will, in turn, take appropriate action against the perpetrators in order to protect consumer rights.
The MEC has urged all consumers to report violations or submit complaints and suggestions to its consumer protection and anti-commercial fraud department through the call centre: 16001, email: [email protected], Twitter MEC_QATAR, Instagram MEC_QATAR and the applications of the ministry on smartphones available on iPhone and Android devices: MEC_QATAR

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