Manama: Saudi Arabia’s commerce and industry minister has surprised his staff and shop keepers when he started inspecting products on display to check whether they were genuine or counterfeit.
Tawfeeq Al Rabia was on a tour in the Baha province for formal meetings when he insisted on visiting the commercial market.
As he was looking at shops, he decided to walk in and check some of the products, discovering that some of them were beyond the expiry date, local daily Al Watan reported on Thursday.
The minister asked the local authorities to file reports on the abuses and to take the necessary measures against violators.
Shoppers who became of the presence of the minister, known throughout the country for his modesty, walked up to him and complained about cheating by some shops and the existence in the local market of several cheap counterfeit products and items that were highly unreliable.
According to the daily, several Saudis urged the minister to launch a campaign to name and shame cheaters and abusers in the Saudi media in order to ensure full compliance with national standards and help buyers avoid becoming helpless victims.
