Damascus-Sana
The complaints of citizens against weak souls who trade in their livelihoods and needs represent the primary role and the most important nerve for controlling markets where the Department of Internal Trade and Consumer Protection in Damascus is working to transfer the seizures it organizes based on the complaints to the court of the start of the supply ration that issues rulings against the owners of commercial activities according to the violation that arrive in Some cases go to prison for a year.
Cooperation between the judiciary, internal trade directorates, consumer protection, and citizens contributes to controlling markets, as the number of cases arriving at the court in Damascus based on citizens ’complaints since the beginning of the year has been handled by 1916 cases, a number of which have been sentenced to imprisonment of the offender and 246 of which have been appealed and the rulings issued in it have reached more than 86 A new seizure to the court last month during the recent intensive campaign of internal trade patrols and consumer protection, according to Chief Judge Fadia Haj Hussein told SANA delegate.
The seizures submitted on the basis of a complaint reach the court through the Legal Department of the Directorate of Internal Trade and Consumer Protection in Damascus, which it transfers to the Court of Supply Prosecution in the court to be coordinated and classified later by the Chief Public Prosecution of Supply between rationing crimes or a financial investigation and after registering the date of the case is determined for all parties and ranges The litigation period between one and two months.
The penalties vary according to Judge Haj Hussein, with imprisonment from one month to one year for different cases, with varying financial fines according to each violation, and some penalties include financial fines only.
The financial fine for violating non-presentation of invoices or giving irregular invoices is 150 thousand Syrian pounds and violations related to deception in the nature and specifications of the commodity or fraud in its weight, the penalty is not less than three months imprisonment and a financial fine from 100 to 300 thousand pounds and manipulating the product through the use of batches or measures The punishment will be increased and not less than 6 months' imprisonment and a fine from 300 to 600 thousand pounds. If the fraud is in human or animal foods, the penalty shall not be less than 6 months imprisonment and a fine of 250 thousand pounds. The penalty will be increased for a full year with the fine of 500 thousand Syrian pounds if it is Materials used in manufacturing are toxic or harmful to health.
Judge Haj Hussein pointed out that in the event of a seizure of violations, but not based on a complaint, it is settled at the Directorate of Internal Trade and Consumer Protection, such as the penalty of selling at an excessive price or not announcing the price, with a financial fine of 25 thousand pounds in addition to an administrative closure starting from three days and more according to The decision of the Minister of Internal Trade and Consumer Protection.
Urging the culture of the complaint and the initiative to present it through the Directorate of Internal Trade and Consumer Protection, according to Judge Haj Hussein, is a necessity to stop the merchants from manipulating the citizens ’food and children's food, as the legal culture must be spread in order for the citizen to be aware of these matters and not fall victim to the monopolists.
The Consumer Protection Law aims to define the general rules that protect the consumer, the health and safety of goods and services, their quality, safeguard their rights, secure the transparency of economic transactions, of which the consumer is one of its parties, protect it from fraud and deceptive advertising, and prevent its exploitation.
Rama Rashidi
