To mark World Consumer Rights Day, which fell on March 15, the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) released six typical cases in which procuratorial organs punished crimes related to production and sales of counterfeit and substandard goods, with the aim of effectively safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of consumers.
In 2024, procuratorial organs nationwide performed their procuratorial functions in accordance with the law, vigorously cracking down on crimes of producing and selling counterfeit and substandard goods. They approved the arrest of 7,716 suspects in 4,486 cases involving these crimes, and prosecuted 21,404 individuals involved in 10,855 cases.
Exercising their role of legal supervision, procuratorial organs recommended that administrative law enforcement agencies transfer 565 suspects involved in 535 cases of producing and selling counterfeit and substandard goods, and supervised public security organs in filing 510 cases against 553 suspects.
The newly released cases focus on people's livelihoods, covering products closely related to people's work and life, such as fire extinguishers, diesel, cosmetics, fertilizer and pharmaceuticals. They are characterized by four aspects: first, highlighting the comprehensive crackdown on crimes throughout the entire production and sales chain; second, accurately determining the nature of the products involved; third, effectively implementing the criminal policy of tempering justice with mercy; and lastly, adhering to the combination of crime control and social governance.
In the next step, procuratorial organs will continue to maintain a high-pressure momentum of vigorously punishing crimes of producing and selling counterfeit and substandard goods in accordance with the law, intensify the supervision of major cases, and improve the quality and efficiency of case handling.
They will focus on issues including fake sales through online platforms and livestreaming, food and drug safety in rural-urban junction areas, and strengthen supervision over product quality and safety.
They will also strengthen the mechanisms for coordination between law enforcement and judicial departments, enhance cooperation with departments of agriculture and rural affairs, market regulation and public security, promote the issuance of regulations on the coordination between law enforcement and judicial departments in the field of agricultural products, improve cooperation mechanisms, and redouble efforts to combat crimes.
