ICCC lauds Tango for complying with order to pay fine

A RETAILER which was ordered to pay a fine for selling a banned item has settled its fine and was acknowledged by the regulating agency for its compliance.
The Waigani District Court had ordered Tango Limited (its Boroko shop in Port Moresby) to pay K15,000 to the Independent Consumer and Competition Commission (ICCC) for selling a permanently banned product – the yoyo water ball.
The ICCC said Tango admitted liability for breaching Section 108 (1) (c) of the ICCC Act (2002) by selling yoyo water balls on July 4, 2018.
Yoyo water balls are the subject of a permanent ban.
ICCC said Tango had paid K15,000 as penalty under Section 134(1)(a) of the ICCC Act for compliance.
Chief executive officer Paulus Ain acknowledged Tango for its admission of liability and its willingness to observe the law in this trying economic times when many traders and suppliers continued to evade compliance in the country.
“It is encouraging that Tango consented to cooperate with the ICCC and comply with the district court’s consent order as a good corporate citizen to help minimise risks and to protect consumer welfare and promote safety,” he said.
Ain said that in March 2013, ICCC had assessed and considered the yoyo water balls or similar products as unsafe and dangerous for children and imposed an 18-month interim ban on the sale and distribution of this product.
Ain added that after the 18-month period lapsed, the commission saw that there was no prescribed consumer product safety standard of the product in place.
“Consequently, the ICCC further imposed a permanent ban on the product on March 19, 2015,” he said.
Ain warned traders or suppliers who continued to engage in improper conduct that they would be investigated, prosecuted and would face stiffer penalties.