The Customs Department has seized fake point-of-origin certificates for imported goods, part of increased efforts to find and seize counterfeit items, said Director General of Customs Saleh Al-Khelaiwi. The Ministry of Commerce and Industry has also discovered several fake point-of-origin certificates that were issued by parties unrecognized by the Ministry, said Al-Khelaiwi, who stressed that work with private laboratories has helped discover the fake certificates. Al-Khelaiwi said his organization, which seized 8 million fake items in the first six months of the year, found 7 million in 2009 and 2.5 million in 2008. He said the increases are attributable to the Fake and Fraud Unit in the Customs Department taking an aggressive approach, creation of the Laboratories Administration and Risks Management and contributions by private laboratories. He said that under the law, seized fake goods are confiscated and destroyed and importers are heavily fined. Al-Khelaiwi, who said more than 250,000 fake tires have been discovered in the two years that a laboratory has been able to test tires, added that there are no laboratories in the Kingdom to test car parts. He called on private-sector investors to establish a lab that can test parts to ensure that they conform to the Kingdom's specifications and standards. He said a project to link issuance of the commercial register with the national identity is vital because it would stop importers changing their commercial registers if they are fined for importing fake goods. He said this measure will prevent merchants from circumventing the law and reduce the number of fake goods, which badly affect consumers. Al-Khelaiwi stressed the importance of using point-of-origin labels because they show where products were made, which makes it easier for consumers to avoid buying inferior goods. Assistant Director General for Customs Affairs Saud Al-Fahd said his office has made great efforts, including the creation of the Risks Management Administration, to eliminate the problem of fake products. He said the department, which provides information about smuggling activities, has started building a database of importers. The database will assist the Anti-Fraud Section at the Customs Department by providing it with a record of merchants involved in smuggling and forging certificates of point of origin. Al-Fahd said the Customs Department has discovered counterfeit aphrodisiacs that look like the genuine products and contain harmful chemicals that cause great damage to the kidney and liver. He stressed that counterfeit products have become a cover for money laundering, an activity that he said is as dangerous as laundering drug money.
