DAMMAM: A lawsuit has been filed against trading companies and businessmen accused of tampering with prices and of creating a monopoly in the trade of essential products, said Muhammad Ameen Sindi, Secretary General of the Council for the Protection of Competitiveness. He said the council, chaired by Hassan Bin Isa Al-Mula, reviewed a report on the progress made in the antitrust case filed by the council against the United Company for Sugar, for allegedly violating the competition and monopoly law. Sindi said one of the major objectives of the council is to encourage fair competition and curb monopolies. This is to ensure lower prices for consumers. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Finance has tasked a legal committee with deciding and issuing sanctions against contractors found to be at fault in delayed government projects, according to sources who said the committee is authorized to ban contractors from getting government contracts for up to five years. The committee will also examine and thoroughly study government correspondence to determine if there is an indication of fraud or flaws in the projects, the sources added. The Ministry of Finance called on all ministries and government departments to report any fraud and manipulation in projects as soon as they are discovered, the sources said. Any decision issued by the committee can be appealed at the Administrative Court, they added. The committee, made up of legal and technical consultants, can also issue judgments in favor of contractors, and against ministries and government departments, according to sources.
