Mechanisms for Monitoring Imported Products

Abstract

The oversight process plays a fundamental role in protecting against potential crimes, since the argument that consumers suffer harm when they purchase an imported product that is defective or non-compliant leads us to conclude that crimes have been committed in this regard. The importer is not the sole party responsible for these violations; rather, studies have often revealed crimes in which the inspector was complicit, through collusion and participation with the importer in exchange for a bribe... etc. It is important to note here that import oversight does not end merely at the point of entry of the product into the national territory, but continues even after the product is offered for sale, through field inspections carried out by quality control and anti-fraud officials. The shortcomings in the inspection process identified through our study are not solely due to the absence of bodies responsible for inspection. On the contrary, such bodies do exist, and it cannot be said that there is a lack of legal provisions. Rather, the issue is linked to a series of shortcomings that must be addressed and remedied through solutions and proposals—which are not sufficient on their own; these proposals must be implemented in practice.