Lebanon’s government fines 11 gas stations over price manipulation

Authorities from the Economy ministry of Lebanon imposed fines to 11 fuel stations accused of “price manipulation and withholding fuel,” as part of a crackdown on the industry, according to an early March report in The Daily Star.

The sanction follows an inspection of 446 fuel stations in several areas of Lebanon following customer complaints, the newspaper added saying that it obtained the information from a government report issued March 2.

The charges involve sanctions for not selling fuel despite having stocks as well as for price fixing.

The Lebanese government’s recent actions have included creating a hotline to report alleged overpricing as well as an application for mobile telephones.

Out of the 11, four were issued against stations that have abstained from distributing fuel to customers despite the availability of reserves, while seven were issued to gas stations accused of manipulating prices.

The statement called on customers to submit their complaints to the ministry’s hotline or through the Consumer Protection Lebanon app for smart phones.