Thursday 6 March 2025
His Excellency Dr. Abdullah bin Mohammed Al-Saidi, Minister of Justice and Legal Affairs, issued Ministerial Decision No. (38/2025), granting judicial police authority to some employees of the Consumer Protection Authority. This step aims to enhance market oversight and ensure consumer rights by granting judicial police authority to a number of Consumer Protection employees, enabling them to take immediate legal action against violators.
The issuance of this decision is an effective tool for combating commercial fraud and price manipulation, as it allows the authorized employees to prepare violation reports and directly refer violations to the competent judicial authorities, thus speeding up legal accountability processes. Additionally, increasing the number of employees granted judicial police authority, by granting these powers to holders of 52 positions within the Consumer Protection Authority, will undoubtedly help reduce violations in the markets, especially in light of current market challenges and illegal practices. It will also enhance consumer confidence in the ability of regulatory authorities to address any infringement of their rights.
It is worth noting that the issuance of this decision is based on the Code of Criminal Procedure issued by Royal Decree No. 97/99, Royal Decree No. 26/2011 establishing the Consumer Protection Authority, the Consumer Protection Law issued by Royal Decree No. 66/2014, Royal Decree No. 54/2021 implementing the Unified Commercial Fraud Law for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, and Ministerial Decision No. 207/2017 granting judicial police authority to some employees of the Consumer Protection Authority. This decision is expected to contribute to the development of the monitoring performance of the Consumer Protection Authority by empowering its staff responsible for monitoring and curbing violations of consumer rights to perform their duties more effectively, thus ensuring a safe consumer environment.