The Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) has imposed a penalty of Rs5 million on British Lyceum (Pvt.) Limited for publishing “a misleading advertisement”.
The ad falsely claimed that teachers could earn up to Rs250,000 per month, and stated a project valuation of Rs3.7 billion, the commission said in a statement on Wednesday.
“It also falsely claimed affiliation with Cambridge Global UK, which is a dormant entity.
Additionally, the ad said that well-known educationists and technologists were on the company’s Board of Directors.“
CCP said it launched an enquiry after receiving complaints about the claims.
“The investigation found the claims to be false, unverified, and deceptive.”
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The CCP concluded that British Lyceum had violated Section 10 of the Competition Act, 2010 by engaging in deceptive marketing.
Subsequently, it imposed Rs3 million penalty under Section 10(2)(b) for “misleading consumers” and another Rs2 million penalty was imposed under Section 10(2)(a) for “potentially harming other businesses”.
The company also submitted improper and unsigned financial statements during the investigation, according to the statement.
Moreover, the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) had also enlisted the company among those suspected of unauthorised activities.
“These were taken as aggravating factors in deciding the final penalty,” CCP said.
“British Lyceum, however removed the ad after the enquiry began. This was treated as a mitigating factor in reducing the fine.”
The commission reiterated its commitment to promoting fair competition and protecting consumers from deceptive marketing practices.
