Saudi Undersecretary of the Ministry of Commerce for Consumer Affairs Fahd Al-Jalajel during his tour of the Motabaqah Laboratories. With him in photo are Prof. Saleh H. Al-Sedrani, Executive Vice President of Motabaqah; and Ghanium Nasser Al-Bagmi, CEO of Motabaqah. Ghanium Nasser Al-Bagmi, CEO of Motabaqah Laboratories, said the existence of a strategic partnership with the private sector represented by qualified private national laboratories is necessary to stop the spread of fraudulent and counterfeit goods. During a recent visit to Motabaqah head office by a high-level delegation from the Ministry of Commerce, Al-Bagmi said the laboratories are the first warning system which informs concerned authorities such as the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and The Saudi Customs Department about any products non-conforming with the specifications so as to enable concerned authorities to take the suitable actions. He highlighted the importance of the role of private laboratories as an assistant branch for the Ministry of Commerce in order to eradicate commercial fraud and counterfeiting and safeguard consumer health and safety. The spread of fraudulent and counterfeit goods leads to the weakening of competitiveness of similar national industries and thus lessens the volume of foreign investments in fields where the use of fraudulent and counterfeit goods abounds, he noted, adding that such efforts will not bear fruit if handled by government sectors alone. The Saudi Ministry delegation included Fahd Al-Jalajel, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Commerce for Consumer Affairs; Fahd Al-Hethaili, General Director of Commercial Fraud Control in the Ministry of Commerce; and Engineer Habeeb Abdul Samad, General Director of Laboratories and Quality Control. All were warmly welcomed and accompanied by Al-Bagmi and Prof. Saleh H. Al-Sedrani, Executive Vice President of Motabaqah, along with head office and laboratories managers from diverse regions and sectors. Dr. Al-Sedrani conveyed the readiness of their laboratories for inspecting imported goods and products with Motabaqah's assorted laboratories varying from the vehicles' spare parts testing lab, textiles testing lab, petroleum testing lab, building materials lab, measurement calibration verification lab, electrical products testing lab, GMO (genetically modified organisms) lab, chemical and microbiology bacterial testing lab specialized in checking cosmetics and detergents/cleaning materials, including toys testing laboratory with Motabaqah being the notified body for the G-mark (GCC). — SG
