The Director General of the General Authority for the Management of Precious Metals in Syria, Musab Al-Aswad, confirmed that strict monitoring ensured that gold conformed to specifications, and that what is being circulated about the spread of counterfeit gold in Syrian markets mostly dates back to a previous time.
Al-Aswad explained that during the pre-liberation period, the level of corruption increased and oversight weakened, which allowed some unscrupulous individuals to resort to forgery, bribery, and the introduction of products that did not meet Syrian standard specifications into the markets.
He added: “After the liberation, the Authority began direct supervision of goldsmiths’ associations, changing those in charge of them, and appointing new, reliable personnel, in addition to bringing in modern calibration devices and tightening control, in order to ensure that no gram of gold is produced that does not conform to Syrian standard specifications,” according to (SANA).
Control mechanism
Al-Aswad explained that the oversight carried out by the Authority is done in two parts. The first relates to ensuring the conformity of the gold that is supervised by the goldsmiths’ associations and is marked with the standard carats. The second is monitoring the gold traded in the markets through periodic tours and taking samples from different governorates to ensure the quality of gold jewelry, whether old or new.
He added that the authority is currently working to enhance oversight by bringing in portable calibration devices from the best international brands, expecting them to arrive within the next three months, which will allow for direct testing inside shops and during inspection tours on large quantities of gold pieces.
Al-Aswad explained that any violation is dealt with according to its nature; in minor violations, the violating items are destroyed, while in cases of clear forgery, the source is traced and the producer, distributor and seller are held accountable according to the applicable regulations.
Regarding citizens’ rights, Al-Aswad pointed out that a citizen who buys gold with a clear and stamped official invoice from a licensed shop does not bear any loss resulting from a difference in carat or its violation of specifications, but rather the goldsmith who sold it bears it, stressing the importance of the citizen obtaining an official invoice that includes the weight, date and official stamp to guarantee his rights.
He said that the goldsmith receives the counterfeit gold from the citizen and returns it at the real price as long as there is an invoice or document proving that the piece was purchased from the same shop, indicating that the goldsmith, in turn, demands that the workshop or entity that produced the counterfeit gold bear the responsibility and return his rights.
