MANAMA: The Industry, Commerce and Tourism Ministry in co-operation with the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) has launched the Joint National Campaign Against Commercial Concealment.
In line with the directives of the Government Executive Committee, headed by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince Prime Minister, the campaign is a part of various initiatives and projects to promote a fair competitive environment towards Economic Vision 2030.
In a statement yesterday, the ministry has warned against leasing of commercial registrations (CR) through which non-Bahrainis engage in a commercial activity which is prohibited by law.
It said that the law grants merchants the right to practise commercial activities in their personal capacity and it is not for them to grant such right to someone else.
This includes, for example, using the personal information, licence, CR of the Bahraini (or anyone with similar status), or other paths that lead to concealment, all of which result from sub-selling or subleasing the commercial activity without including the commercial store for which the CR is issued in the sale or lease contract.
The ministry emphasised that such actions are punishable by law with imprisonment for a period not exceeding a year and a fine not exceeding BD1,000, or either of them in addition to cancellation of the CR and closure of the commercial store where the violation was committed.
Monitoring of CR owners through various regulatory agencies and in cooperation with the competent authorities is about to be intensified with necessary administrative action to follow, it said.
The ministry has called on merchants to avoid such practices that are harmful to the national economy and its reputation in general, due to their negative effects on its growth.
Commercial concealment is considered an unfair investment that overcrowds the legitimate investment, it also disturbs the balance of legitimate and fair competition between merchants and it impacts the services, which negatively effects their quality due to the existence of an ambiguous relationship between the parties of the business process that combine the merchant, the consumer, the supplier and the distributor.
The ministry has also called on all stakeholders to cooperate in making the campaign a success and to help in creating a strong economy.
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