Abu Dhabi seizes 4,000 fake items in nine months

More than 4,000 fake and obscene items have been seized during a nine-month inspection campaign covering nearly 100,000 businesses and shops, a senior official said yesterday.

Inspectors from Abu Dhabi's Department of Planning and Economy (DPE), supported by police, conducted random visits and raids throughout the emirate to enforce compliance with the law.

The inspectors issued 21,328 warnings and fines, prompting more than 15,000 offenders to take action to redress the situation, said Mohammed Rashid Al Rumaithi, the department's Director of Trade Protection.

"The DPE carried out more than 97,000 surprise inspections on companies, shops and stores between October and July," he added. "These raids have resulted in the seizure of more than 4,000 products. Some items do not have any indication of their source or origin while others are copies of world-famous brands and others are obscene items that violate public values.

"These campaigns will continue to ensure strict compliance with the law. They are intended to impose a strict control system with severe penalties and a disciplined administrative system capable of protecting consumers and guiding investors against any violations or infringement of the rights of others.

"We also want to help those who have not been able to fully comply with existing laws."

Rumaithi said: "The inspectors visited companies and shops where offices had been turned into sleeping quarters for employees. And more than 2,000 diesel distribution companies were checked to ensure they were not involved in illegal trading.

"The raids covered various activities and businesses.

"We checked business licences, the nature of activities and whether they conformed to the issued licence, traded products and price compliance.

"A large percentage of the offences involved the illegal use of company offices as accommodation for workers. The department is extremely worried about this phenomenon which coincides with surging rents and a housing crises. This phenomenon is creating a real problem for families in residential areas."