The Ministry of Commerce and Industry implemented an expanded inspection campaign targeting shops selling gold in various regions of the country, in response to increasing complaints received from consumers regarding some shops refraining from selling gold and hiding it from display.
The campaign included inspections of about 94 stores, and resulted in the arrest of 9 violating stores carrying out illegal practices, namely hiding gold and refusing to sell it to consumers with the intention of controlling prices, in clear violation of the provisions of Article (10) of Law No. (8) of 2008 regarding consumer protection, which states the following: “The supplier may not hide any commodity or refrain from selling it with the intention of Controlling the market price, or imposing the purchase of certain quantities of it, or the purchase of another commodity with it, or charging a higher price than the price that was announced.
The Ministry revealed that arrest reports were issued against the violating shops, and that the necessary legal measures were taken against them.
The Ministry confirmed that these practices constitute a violation of the law and harm market stability and consumer rights, stressing that it will continue to implement periodic inspection and monitoring campaigns to ensure that all stores comply with applicable laws and regulations.
On the other hand, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry issued Administrative Decision No. (30/2025) to close the Sky Motors – Rocks agency, administratively, for a period of one month, due to its failure to provide guarantees provided by the producer or the client replacing the agency, in clear violation of the provisions of Article (9) of Law No. (8) of 2008 regarding consumer protection and its executive regulations.
This decision came after 6 violations were detected against the agency after receiving complaints from a number of consumers, as the seizure reports included the agency committing a violation of non-compliance with providing warranty and maintenance services, including providing spare parts and repair for all Rox cars imported from abroad that consumers have, despite it being the local agent for this car within the country, which is the location of its agency, and this has caused damage. This is a serious threat to consumers and deprives them of the proper use of their cars.
The Ministry confirmed that this measure comes as part of its ongoing efforts to enhance market oversight and ensure suppliers’ compliance with applicable laws and regulations, stressing that it will not tolerate any violations that would harm the rights of consumers or disrupt the business environment in the country.
The Ministry of Trade and Industry also issued Administrative Decision No. (31/2025) to administratively close Alpine Commercial Group Company (Charmax) for a month, for violating the provisions of Article (7) of Law No. (8) of 2008 regarding consumer protection and its executive regulations, for describing and advertising a commodity in a manner that contains false and deceptive data that would mislead the consumer.
The closure decision came after the company claimed through its advertisements that it is an official agent and distributor of the “Xiaomi” car brand, while it is not an official agent, and does not possess an agency registration certificate, authorization, or any document proving that it is an agent for the product, in violation of the provisions of Articles (7) and (9) of the same law.
It was also found that the company collects cash sums (a deposit) from consumers, and sets future dates to deliver their cars to them, even though the commercial activity registered in its commercial license is limited to contracting, which raises doubts about its ability to fulfill its obligations to deliver cars to consumers on the specified date, or the possibility of collecting these sums for other purposes, which poses a major threat to the rights and interests of consumers, and without providing any Guarantees to return these amounts to them in the event of failure to fulfill their obligations, in violation of the provisions of Article (7) of Law No. (8) of 2008 regarding consumer protection and its executive regulations.
