The Public Prosecution and the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MOCI) inaugurated on Wednesday the 'Commerce and Consumer Affairs Prosecution' office at the Public Prosecution headquarters.
In a statement to Qatar News Agency (QNA) on the occasion, HE Attorney-General Dr Ali bin Fetais al-Marri affirmed that the establishment of a specialised prosecution office for Commerce and Consumer Affairs greatly contributes to the qualification of specialised cadres in cases that cannot be subjected to the normal daily cases.
For his part, HE Minister of Commerce and Industry Ali bin Ahmed al-Kuwari affirmed the importance of this prosecution in supporting the investment environment, businessmen and companies. He said that the Consumer Affairs Prosecution was the fruit of cooperation between the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and the Public Prosecution, especially in qualifying and training the ministry's employees who have the right to judicial control.
HE the Minister pointed out that the development of the country has witnessed local and foreign investments in the field of commercial transactions and especially after passing several laws supporting these areas, this new step constituted an impetus to develop the legislative and judicial system in the State. This will be further assisted by providing legal protection to consumers and merchants, noting that in this context, a specialised prosecution office has been created to examine cases related to violations seized and reported by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
HE al-Kuwari added that the Commerce and Consumer Affairs Prosecution facilitated taking the necessary legal measures against perpetrators. He said that this prosecution constituted a quantum leap in terms of quick settlement of consumer and commercial cases, which require accurate, expanded and specialised inquiry during the investigation phase.
HE al-Kuwari hailed HE the Attorney-General Dr Ali bin Fetais al-Marri's role in establishing this prosecution expeditiously, which is the fruit of cooperation between the two sides, as it found a favourable response from the Attorney-General, and it was launched in the span of only two months.
Head of the Commerce and Consumer Affairs Prosecution Ahmed Yusef al-Kuwari said that this prosecution is concerned with laws related to consumer rights and commercial transactions, which contribute to supporting efforts aimed at combating fraud, deterring unfair competition and taking the necessary measures to prevent related violations and hold perpetrators accountable in a way that supports security, stability, economic growth and the investment climate in the country.
The new prosecution is also concerned with dealing and investigating matters governed by the laws of commerce and companies, and issues related to commercial fraud, tax evasion and customs, as well as other laws related to the economy in general, in order to ensure stability, protect rights, and enhance the growth of the economy, trade and investment climate.
The new prosecution has jurisdiction over crimes that affect consumers, merchants or companies and to quickly settle them. It also has the right to assign financial committees and seek assistance from accounting and technical experts in cases related to the protection of competition or commercial fraud in order to reach fair decisions and rulings that are consistent with the State's constitution and principle of the rule of law and in a way that leads to the stability of the country's economic system and gives confidence to the foreign consumer and investor in the integrity of the justice system, he added.
Al-Kuwari pointed out that prosecutors are constantly being qualified by integrating them into training programmes and informing them about the experiences of developed countries in this field.
