Ministry of Justice Conducts Second Wave of Inspections Against Hoarding and Price Gouging of Plastic Products, 1376 Businesses Inspected

Deputy Minister of Justice Huang Mou-hsin stated that the inter-agency 'Joint Price Inspection Team,' along with local prosecutors' offices, conducted two waves of intensive inspections and investigations before and after the Qingming holiday, from March 31 to April 6. These inspections targeted night markets, traditional markets, retail stores, as well as upstream supply chains and manufacturing factories of plastic products across Taiwan. Huang said that based on the inspection results during the Qingming holiday, the Ministry of Justice immediately convened the inter-agency Joint Price Inspection Team the day after the holiday ended for analysis. If the analysis reveals criminal activity, it will be handled according to law. The ministry will also continue to trace the origins and plan subsequent inspection times and locations for key commodities like plastic products, strictly preventing any form of illegal hoarding or price gouging. The Ministry of Justice issued a press release stating that during the inspection period, the Investigation Bureau of the Ministry of Justice worked tirelessly, mobilizing 1082 investigators who sacrificed their holidays to inspect 727 businesses, fully cooperating with the administrative inspections during this period. The press release also stated that to accurately grasp price fluctuations in various regions, the Ministry of Justice established a rigorous tracking and reporting system, integrating inspection information from prosecutor's offices, the Investigation Bureau, the Agency Against Corruption, and the Joint Price Inspection Team. This ensures timely response measures are taken. For anyone who takes advantage of the situation to hoard or inflate prices, affecting market trading order, the prosecutor's offices under the Ministry of Justice will adhere to a policy of strict and swift handling, prosecuting offenders without leniency. The Ministry of Justice stated that the stability of people's livelihoods is the foundation of social stability. The Ministry of Justice once again calls on businesses not to take chances due to international raw material fluctuations and engage in illegal hoarding or price gouging. At the same time, it urges the public to jointly supervise and report any unreasonable price increases or illegal hoarding by businesses to the hotline 0800-007007, to jointly safeguard the stability of domestic commodity prices. (Editor: Hsieh Ya-chu) 1150408