43 establishments closed by ADDED in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain

ABU DHABI, 26th July, 2016 (WAM) -- Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development, ADDED, has closed 43 commercial establishments in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain in the first half of this year as they violated regulations of practicing commercial activity as per Law No. 02 of 2009 establishing ADDED, and Resolution No. 25 on regulating commercial activities and issuing commercial licenses.

Mohamed Munif Al Mansouri, Acting Executive Director of ADDED's Abu Dhabi Business Centre, said that the decisions for closure came after a number of surprise inspection visits to some commercial activities and in response to reports and complaints from consumers.

He added that the decision to close the establishments also came under Resolution No. 69 of 2010 on the amendment of the commercial establishments' violations list in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, which is attached to Law No. 02 on the establishment of ADDED, noting that the closure decisions are final and cannot be appealed for any reason as these establishments were proved to expressly violate the licensed commercial activity.

"Law No. 02 on the establishment of ADDED has given it several powers and tasks regarding commercial protection, which helped boost the department's role in enforcing the regulations and rules that would curb illegal activities and practices of commercial establishments in the emirate," added Mr. Al Mansouri.

He stressed ADDED's commitment to enforcing the laws, regulations and controls that regulate all commercial activities by having more extensive field visits, enforcing relevant resolutions and continuous interaction with clients' requirements and incoming complaints.

Ahmed Tarish Al Qubaisi, Acting Executive Director of ADDED's Commercial Protection Directorate, said that ADDED is extremely keen on dealing carefully with all reports and complaints it receives by developing inspection procedures and processes to ensure streamlined and fast performance, and top quality, using state-of-the-art technologies that would save the inspectors' time and effort by documenting data and evidence electronically, with the added feature of taking photographs of the site and entering them directly into the inspection system.

He noted that the closure decisions included restaurants that had failed to abide by the tobacco law, massage service providers who violated regulations by employing both males and females, spare parts stores whose licenses have expired or who failed to meet the requirements of this activity, tyre shops who had not complied with the decision to move this type of business off the island of Abu Dhabi, veterinary clinics that failed to comply with activity provisions, and other violations monitored by the authorities.

He concluded by noting that there were 37 establishments closed in Abu Dhabi city, which were involved in the activities of veterinary medicine, massage, vehicle tyres, refreshments, foodstuff trading, spare parts and supermarkets, or "baqala". In Al Ain, 6 establishments were closed in the fields of coffee shops, massage centres and veterinary medicine.