The Ministry of Trade announced today, Thursday, the continuation of its monitoring campaigns to follow up on local markets in Baghdad and the provinces, emphasizing that legal actions will be taken against those involved in commercial fraud, monopolization of goods, and price manipulation, and that there will be no leniency towards practices that harm citizens' interests.
The ministry's advisor, Mohammad Hanoon, stated in a statement followed by the Video News Agency, that the monitoring bodies continue to carry out field tours in coordination with relevant government agencies, aiming to protect consumers and ensure the safety of food and consumer goods, as well as to reduce commercial violations.
He added that the tours include markets, shops, and warehouses, to verify the validity of the displayed goods, their production and expiration dates, and their country of origin, as well as to ensure that they comply with Iraqi standard specifications, in cooperation with health authorities and the Central Organization for Standardization and Quality Control.
Hanoon clarified that the ministry focuses on tracking cases of commercial fraud, price manipulation, and monopolization of essential goods, and pursuing practices that lead to the creation of artificial scarcity in markets or exploitation of citizens' needs, noting that these measures aim to protect purchasing power and maintain market stability.
He indicated that the violations recorded by the monitoring teams are documented in official reports, in preparation for necessary legal actions against the perpetrators, including referring cases that constitute crimes to investigative and judicial authorities, based on the Consumer Protection Law No. (1) of 2010 and the Competition and Anti-Monopoly Law No. (14) of 2010, in addition to the applicable legislations.
The ministry's advisor emphasized that consumer protection, food safety, and market stability are fundamental priorities in the ministry's work, reaffirming the continuation of monitoring any commercial practices that harm citizens.
Hanoon called on citizens to cooperate with the monitoring bodies and report cases of fraud, monopolization, and price manipulation, emphasizing that the responsibility for market stability and consumer protection requires the concerted efforts of government institutions, the private sector, and citizens.