ICCC to prosecute businesses

THE Independent Consumer and Competition Commission (ICCC) will continue to prosecute businesses that increased the prices of goods during last year’s Covid-19 state of emergency.
ICCC commissioner and chief executive officer Paulus Ain said from 104 businesses assessed, 48 had complied and paid a total of K450,000 in fines while 56 still owed the commission up to K1,025,000 in unpaid fines. ICCC carried out a nationwide price surveillance exercise from last April to June to implement State of Emergency Order No. 8 on price regulation which was released by the emergency controller on June 2.
The purpose of the price regulation was to protect consumer interests from unscrupulous business houses taking advantage of the National State of Emergency and increasing prices for basic goods such as rice, flour and oil.
Ain said, while implementing the State of Emergency Order, it was found that over a hundred businesses had contravened Order 8.
“From those businesses, and there are over 100 of them, about half of them have complied with the infringement notices issued by the ICCC and paid the fines owing from the breach while the other half remain non-compliant,” he said.
“ICCC began prosecuting non-complaint businesses in November last year.
“We have filed three cases in the relevant court jurisdictions to enforce the penalties owed to the ICCC for breaching the price regulation.”
Ain said in the coming months, the ICCC would continue to file more cases in court.
“The ICCC encourages businesses who are yet to meet the penalty fees owing under their respective infringement notices to come forward and pay these fines,” he said.
“The ICCC has records of which businesses have paid and which are yet to pay, and if you are one such business that has not paid your fine, please take note that the ICCC will not hesitate to take court action against you.”