Baghdad - Al-Forat
The Council of Representatives, in a session attended by 196 MPs, voted on a bill amending Consumer Protection Law No. 1 of 2010, which toughens penalties for commercial fraud and extends protection to e-commerce, a step consumer rights organisations have been calling for for years.
Al-Forat’s parliamentary correspondent said the amendment raises fines on violators to between five million and 50 million dinars depending on the seriousness of the offence, allows offending shops to be closed for up to three months, and doubles the penalty for repeat offences.
E-commerce under scrutiny
The amended law requires online shops and platforms to register with the competent authorities and to disclose the seller’s identity, the origin and specifications of their goods and their returns policy, a loophole consumers have long complained about as shopping through social media has spread.
- Higher fines for commercial fraud and tampering with expiry dates
- Online shops required to disclose the seller’s identity and the origin of goods
- A unified platform to receive and track consumer complaints online
- The consumer’s right to return faulty goods within 14 days
The amendment also creates a unified online platform for consumer complaints, run by the consumer protection authorities in coordination with the Central Organisation for Standardisation and Quality Control, with each complaint to be decided within 30 days and the option of filing by phone for those who do not use the internet.
“The Iraqi consumer was the weakest link in the market, and this amendment gives back their right to sound goods at a fair price”Chair of the parliamentary Economy, Industry and Trade Committee
A busy session
In the same session, the Council completed the first reading of the public transport bill and postponed votes on two other bills to later sessions so that amendments proposed by the relevant committees could be finalised and the comments of the ministries concerned discussed, before the Speaker adjourned the session until next week.
Chambers of commerce welcomed the amendment but called for a distinction between deliberate violations and minor administrative errors, and for shop owners to be given time to regularise their status before fines are applied. The law takes effect once it is published in the Official Gazette.
