JUBAIL — The Ministry of Commerce and Investment has defamed a citizen and a Bangladeshi national after a court found them guilty of commercial cover-up or tasattur. The Saudi had been enabling the expatriate to run on his own an operation for the sale and maintenance of electronics and computers in Jubail using his commercial registration. The criminal court in Dammam issued a verdict imposing a fine of SR400,000 and ordering the liquidation of the trade activity. It also canceled the Saudi's commercial registration and license, in addition to banning him from practicing the same trade activity. The expatriate will be deported from the Kingdom after the execution of the sentence against him and he will not to be allowed to return for work. The court also ordered the defamation of the two men by publishing the court verdict in a local newspaper at their expense. The Ministry of Commerce and Investment took the case to the court after its inspectors, acting on tip-off, raided the electronics business and found evidence to prove commercial cover-up. The inspectors had carried out necessary investigations and discovered huge financial transactions and remittances made by the expatriate worker. His transactions involving huge amounts with several institutions were not commensurate with his monthly salary, which was SR1000 for his listed job as a computer technician. It was later proved that the Saudi owner of the establishment had been enabling the expatriate to engage in a commercial activity that he was not authorized to practice or invest in. The ministry referred the case to the judicial authorities for taking the legal measures in accordance with the Anti-Commercial Concealment Law. The ministry called on all citizens and legal residents in various regions of the Kingdom to report any cases of commercial concealment through its Call Center (1900) or through the application Commercial Violation Report, or via its official website. The ministry will reward the informer with up to 30 percent of the fine levied from the violator after it was collected. The fine may reach SR1 million per violator. The Supreme Authority approved earlier this week a program to implement the recommendations of the National Program for Combating the Commercial Concealment with the help of 10 government agencies. The program aims to address commercial concealment in all sectors, besides developing relevant rules and regulations, stimulating e-commerce and using technical solutions. The program also aims at regulating and organizing the financial transactions to eliminate transferring of huge amounts of money abroad.
