The Fijian Competition and Consumer Commission is currently investigating seven traders for alleged price gouging.
If found guilty, a body corporate faces a maximum penalty of $250,000 while for a natural person it is $50,000.
The FCCC had previously charged five traders with price gouging and the matter is currently in court.
CEO Joel Abraham says these investigations are mainly in relation to the price of masks and hand sanitizers where prices have almost doubled overnight.
Abraham says they are now tracing back the supply chain to find out where the hike took place and are not just looking at the end price.
Abraham says he wants businesses to understand that they will not get away with this.
He adds they usually take time to do their investigations but this is just to be thorough and to make sure that they do not compromise someone's constitutional right.
The CEO has also stressed that traders cannot just inflate prices even if the item is not under price control.
Stay tuned for the latest news on our radio stations
