DILI, 02 feberuary 2023 (TATOLI) – The Economic, Health, and Food Inspection Authority (AIFAESA) requires more vehicles to carry out inspections on price gouging in municipalities.
AIFAESA Inspector General, Ernesto Monteiro said that the lack of vehicles makes it difficult for the institution to regularly inspect price gouging.
“Not having enough vehicles makes it difficult for AIFAESA to conduct routine inspections on price gouging in the municipalities,” Monteiro said.
Regarding the lack of transport, the government passed a resolution in 2021 on the management and reallocation of state vehicles. This resolution introduced a set of measures for the management of state vehicles in order to minimize expenses.
“In 2022, AIFAESA had a total of 12 vehicles, but based on the Government’s resolution on the management and reallocation of State vehicles, we had to return five of the vehicles to the Directorate General of State Patrimony,” Monteiro said in an exclusive interview in Dili today.
The President of Parliamentary Committee D, Antoninho Bianco, asked the Directorate General of State Property to provide some vehicles to AIFAESA in order to facilitate the travel of inspectors to the municipalities.
Bianco recalled that the leaders of AIFAESA and the Vice-Minister of Tourism, Trade, and Industry, Domingos Antunes, have already presented to the National Parliament the results of the supervision of the prices of tobacco, sugar, and sugary drinks charged by stores in Dili.
“Now, AIFAESA needs transportation to inspect product prices on weekends outside of Dili,” he concluded.
Journalist: Filomeno Martins
Editor: Nelia Borges
