The Rwanda Bureau of Standards (RBS) has confiscated 400 fake televisions sets imported into the country from China, saving potential buyers millions of francs.
The New Times reports the television sets had been imported into the country from China by local businessman Davis Iraneje and were to be sold as Sharp electronics.
Mark Cyubahiro Bagabe, the standards body director general, said officials impounded the counterfeit televisions, which bore Sharp serial numbers and were also packed in the company’s boxes, as Iraneje was clearing them at the Magerwa customs point.
“We shall re-export the TV sets back to China. Otherwise, we risk being sued by the genuine Sharp TV sets makers since these are not Sharp products,” Cyubahiro said.
He added that RBS will not allow the country to become a dumping ground for Chinese counterfeit products.
In his defence Iraneje told RBS officials that he bought the sets from The Leo Electrics Trading Company, which manufactures television sets in Guangzhou, China. He insisted they were genuine and bought following the correct procedure.
There has been a recent influx of fake products into Rwanda and the rest of the East African region, among them mobile phones, toothpaste, drugs and electronics. This impounding of televisions is the second since January.
