Why, Lord, why? Consumer Protection Agency is getting the power of arrest. The House of Representatives’ Economic Committee has approved giving the CPA — the state agency behind such brilliant measures as the Smiley Face initiative — power of arrest under the amendments to the Consumer Protection Act that are currently before the House, Al Borsa said. The CPA has seen its power increase substantially over the past months as a faction within government angles to use it as the speartip in combatting inflation. As it stands, the authority can only refer a case to the Prosecutor General’s Office for investigation (when it’s not pulling advertisements off the air, that is). A move is also afoot to make the CPA an independent authority reporting directly to the prime minister’s office. The legislation could also empower the CPA to enforce price caps, a measure support by some factions in government and vocally advocated by CPA chief Atef Yacoub. The changes to the Consumer Protection Act should be finalized in February, at which time the bill would go on the legislative agenda for the House as a whole.

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