Masks were purchased for 5 yuan and sold for 198 yuan, and meltblown cloth cost 20,000 yuan and sold for 300,000 yuan-
Numerous acts of driving up prices were severely punished by the Economic Daily · China Economic Net reporter Li Wanxiang

At present, some urgently needed materials for epidemic prevention and control, especially key raw materials, are still in short supply. Unscrupulous operators seize the opportunity to hoist prices and make huge profits through hoarding and reselling, which is more serious. Recently, the Supreme People's Procuratorate and the Ministry of Public Security jointly released 4 typical cases, which severely punish the crime of driving up prices according to law.

Raising prices to make huge profits,

Constitutes an illegal business offence

The highest statistic shows that as of March 26, 2020, procuratorial organs across the country have accepted and reviewed 2,681 arrests involving epidemic-related criminal cases, 3,343 people, 2304 arrests and 2785 arrests, and 222 arrests and 305 arrests were not approved according to law. 2048 cases of 2580 people, 1561 cases of 1919 people filed for public prosecution, 35 cases of 45 people were not prosecuted according to law. Among them, the national procuratorial organs approved the arrest of 14 illegal persons in 30 cases of illegal operation (increasing prices) and prosecuted 9 persons in 11 cases.

In the case released this time, some people increased the price of each mask from 0.16 yuan to 0.28 yuan before the outbreak to 10 yuan per one, an increase of up to nearly 50 times; some people will buy masks purchased at 5.125 yuan per box. The price is 198 yuan per box, and the price difference is as high as nearly 193 yuan. Some people have increased the melt-blown nonwoven fabric with a cost of less than 20,000 yuan per ton to 180,000 yuan, and the price of reselling to mask production enterprises has increased to 300,000 yuan per ton. To 380,000 yuan.

At the beginning of January 2020, a company in Shanghai purchased a batch of ordinary civilian masks at a price of 5.125 yuan (50 per box) and sold them on the company's Taobao store. The daily sales price was 7 yuan per box. After the outbreak of New Coronary Pneumonia, Xie Mou, the company's legal representative, decided to raise the price of the masks for profit, and the price continued to increase from January 23 to 29, from 21 yuan per box to 198 yuan per box. After investigation, the company's high-priced sales of masks amounted to more than 170,000 yuan, and the amount of illegal income was more than 160,000 yuan.

The Songjiang Branch of Shanghai Public Security Bureau arrested and monitored Xie Mou on March 2, 2020. He was transferred to March 9 for review and prosecution. The Shanghai Songjiang District People's Procuratorate filed an indictment with the Songjiang District People's Court on March 12 on the grounds that the defendant unit, a company in Shanghai and the defendant Xie Mou, constituted an illegal business crime.

On March 23, 2020, the Songjiang District People's Court of Shanghai held a public hearing to hear the case. The public prosecutor issued a public prosecutor's opinion that the mask involved in the case was the defendant's advancement in the epidemic. The operating cost did not change significantly after the epidemic occurred, but the price was increased by dozens of times. It is a price increase and a huge profit. Both the defendant unit and the defendant constituted an illegal business crime.

After the trial, the Songjiang District People ’s Court made a judgment in court and found that the facts and charges accused by the procuratorial organ were established. The defendant unit and the defendant truthfully confessed the criminal facts. They are frank and all can be given a lighter punishment, but the defendant Xie Mou coaxed up the price of the mask The purpose is obvious and does not meet the conditions for the application of probation. The defendant was sentenced to a fine of 200,000 yuan, and the defendant Xie Mou was sentenced to 8 months in prison with a fine of 180,000 yuan to recover the illegal gains.

Strictly punish joint prevention and control,

Maintain market order and stability

When prices are stable, the people's will will be settled, and the people's will will be won by the epidemic. For behaviors such as driving up prices that seriously disrupt the people's hearts and endanger the foundation of the war epidemic, we must always attach great importance to it, severely punish it according to law, and jointly prevent and control it.

Judging from the situation of public security organs and procuratorial organs investigating and handling cases, criminals use factors such as the shortage of basic materials during epidemic prevention, especially the scarcity of epidemic prevention supplies, and the public's eagerness for epidemic prevention. It severely disrupted the market supply order during the extraordinary period, and caused psychological panic among the people.

These people are specifically targeting the urgent need for shortages of materials to drive up prices and enter the market to "suck blood". Today they are aimed at melt-blown cloth, and tomorrow they may be aimed at other materials.

"In the critical period of the current epidemic prevention, this kind of behavior that seriously deviates from the laws of the law of the country and the country must be severely punished in accordance with the law, in order to be effective." The person in charge of the Supreme Procurator said that the current situation of epidemic prevention and control in the country continues to improve, and the order of production and life is accelerated. Under the recovery situation, some lawbreakers have used the psychology of enterprises desperately wishing to resume production, selling high-priced masks, forehead guns, disinfectants and other necessary supplies for resumption of production, reselling resales, hoarding basic raw materials and taking the opportunity to raise prices and increase The cost of resuming production and resuming production of enterprises increases the worries of business operators.

According to the Criminal Law, "Two Highs", "Interpretation of Several Issues on the Specific Application of the Law to Handle Criminal Cases That Prevent, Prevent and Control Emergent Infectious Disease Epidemic Situations" and "Two Highs and Two Departments" "On the Punishment of Pneumonitis Disruption Caused by New Coronavirus According to Law" The "Opinions on Prevention and Control of Illegal Crimes" stipulates that, during the period of epidemic prevention and control, it would be a crime to convict and raise penalties according to law if it constitutes a crime by raising prices and making huge profits.

During the period of epidemic prevention and control, operators who violate the relevant national market management, price management and other regulations, and after deducting production and operation costs and normal profits, substantially increase the price of products for external sales, should be regarded as "cooking prices and profiteering." In judging the "substantial increase", it should be based on the price intervention measures promulgated in accordance with the law in various places, the price sensitivity of the items involved, the impact on the epidemic prevention and control or the basic people's livelihood order, etc., and comprehensive consideration should be made to determine.

For hoarding, reselling, and other methods, increasing levels, increasing the price of key materials for epidemic prevention and control, and making huge profits, or disturbing market order, a comprehensive determination should be made based on the number, frequency, price increase ratio, and profitability of hoarding and reselling. "Large amount of illegal income" and "other serious circumstances" shall be severely punished according to law.

Compared with the previous period, during the resumption of production and resumption of production, the procuratorate and public security organs should also adjust the direction of handling cases according to the changes in the situation, focus on promoting the coordinated resumption of production in all links of the industrial chain, and in-depth understanding of the needs of enterprises in the frontline of production and operation. Increase the punishment for driving up the prices of critically needed materials.

The relevant person in charge of the Ministry of Public Security said that he will pay close attention to the impact of the resumption of production on the market supply and demand, and adhere to the synchronous tracking and timely crackdown on the behavior of coaxing the people ’s daily necessities such as grain, oil, meat, egg, vegetable and milk, and resolutely maintain the normal order of the market and protect the people. Normal life. In this regard, procuratorial organs and public security organs will strengthen information exchange and cooperation in case handling, improve and improve the case handling mechanism that integrates from top to bottom, regional linkage, and rapid response, investigate and punish according to law, severely punish, and jointly prevent and control, and maintain market order and stability.