Saudi Arabia: Riyadh coffeehouse fined for withholding small cups

Cairo: A Riyadh coffeehouse has been found deliberately concealing small cups from customers and coercing them into buying medium or large cups instead for higher profits, highlighting the issue of business fraud in Saudi Arabia.

According to Abdul Rahman Al Hussain, a spokesman for the Ministry of Commerce, authorities uncovered the fraudulant scheme during inspections, leading to the confiscation of a significant quantity of small cups hidden in a warehouse connected to the café.

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While Saudi news website Akhbar24 report does not specify the exact penalties imposed on the violating café, it mentions that on-the-spot penalties were issued to the cafe.

This incident comes amidst a broader crackdown on various forms of business fraud in Saudi Arabia.

In a recent case, a petrol station owner was publicly named and shamed after being convicted of commercial fraud for mixing petrol with diesel.

The court ordered the owner to pay a fine and bear the cost of publishing the verdict in local media as punishment.

The Ministry of Commerce has intensified efforts to monitor businesses across the country to safeguard consumer rights and expose perpetrators of commercial fraud.

Measures include the establishment of a prosecution branch specifically dedicated to handling fraud cases, aiming to expedite legal procedures related to such offenses.

These actions underscore the Saudi government’s commitment to combatting fraudulent practices in businesses, ensuring fair and transparent commercial transactions for consumers.