The fight against speculation is one of the main concerns of the State in order to preserve the purchasing power of citizens by ensuring the availability and stability of food products, especially those that are subsidized.
In this context, Minister of Trade and Export Development, Samir Abid, called for the application of the most severe sanctions, the strengthening of administrative penalties and the targeting and dissuasion of the major monopolists, at an extended meeting devoted to monitoring the latest developments regarding supplies, prices, control mechanisms and the organization of distribution channels.
During the meeting, which took place on Thursday, November 22, Abid explained that in the coming period, the control work will focus on identifying the most serious infringements that disrupt the general balance of the market and immediately correcting non-compliant situations, while at the same time adopting a flexible approach and engaging in dialogue with small operators and strengthening trust between citizens and organized traders.
He also highlighted the positive results achieved by control operations in all regions of the Republic to combat all forms of monopoly, speculation and price increases.
He added that these operations will continue at the same pace, with new mechanisms and working methods to become more effective and efficient, so that citizens will feel a tangible reduction in prices, according to a press release from the Ministry of Trade.
The security officials present reaffirmed the importance and effectiveness of cooperation in combating monopolistic practices.
They expressed their willingness to support the economic control teams in this field and pointed out that the Ministry of the Interior was mobilizing all its human and logistical resources, both at central and regional level, in order to preserve the purchasing power of citizens, eliminate parallel circuits and prevent the activities of middlemen and intruders.
The meeting reviewed the corrective measures taken by the Ministry of Trade to ensure market supply, particularly for white meat, milk and potatoes, as well as measures to improve the organization of the Bir El Kassâa wholesale market. It was also pointed out that all imported materials are available in sufficient quantities thanks to the Tunisian Trade Office.
Saïed calls for daily efforts to combat speculation
President Kais Saied recently inquired about the results of the operations and campaigns carried out in the various governorates of the country to put an end to speculation, monopolies and price hikes, according to a press release from the Presidency of the Republic.
The Head of State reiterated his constant call for this control and monitoring to become a daily rather than an occasional activity, and for it to target the extensive networks of organized crime that operate in the shadows but have a stranglehold on the soaring prices and shortages of various products on the market.
In this context, President Saied stressed the need to find new ways of combating these phenomena, as the methods used in the past have often proved ineffective.
Prison sentences from 10 years to life!
Presidential Decree No. 14 of March 20, 2022 on the fight against illegal speculation was published on Monday in the Official Gazette of the Tunisian Republic (JORT), providing for penalties ranging from 10 years to life imprisonment and fines of between 100 and 500,000 dinars.
The decree, which consists of 28 articles, defines illegal speculation as any operation involving the storage or concealment of goods that causes a shortage or disturbance on the market, or any deliberate increase or decrease in prices, either directly or indirectly, or through an intermediary.
Anyone who, directly or indirectly or through one or more intermediaries, engages in speculation, as well as those who disseminate false information in order to induce consumers not to buy products or to create a disruption in the market supply in order to decree a sudden and unexplained increase in prices, is considered to be guilty of the crime of illegal speculation.
The same applies to those who profit from practices that do not respect the rules of supply and demand, and those who hold products for sale outside the country as part of a smuggling operation.
Perpetrators of these crimes are liable to ten years’ imprisonment and a fine of 100,000 dinars. The penalty increases to 20 years’ imprisonment and a fine of 200,000 dinars if the illegal speculation involves subsidized products, medicines and pharmaceutical products.
The sentence may also be increased to 30 years’ imprisonment and a fine of 500,000 dinars if the offences are committed during an exceptional situation, a public health emergency, an epidemic or the occurrence of or during a disaster (…).
