The Competition Council reports that unscheduled inspections have been conducted at the premises of a number of companies involved in the import, supply and sale of meat. The antimonopoly authority has grounds to believe that these companies have violated the legal provisions under Article 5 of the Competition Law prohibiting anticompetitive agreements in the market.
The antimonopoly authority also reports that it “initiated an investigation in connection with the identification of signs of anticompetitive agreements in the import and sale of a certain type of meat”. Such agreements, according to the agency, could limit the access of certain companies to sources of meat supplies, which would restrict their ability to participate in government procurement procedures, including for the supply of meat to educational institutions.
At the same time, the agency notes that unscheduled inspections are a preliminary stage in the investigation of possible anti-competitive actions. Their conduct does not imply the recognition of business entities guilty of anti-competitive behavior. After the inspections are completed, “the collected evidence will be analyzed for other investigative actions necessary to establish the presence or absence of alleged violations of the law”.
The legislation does not set a fixed timeframe for the completion of the investigation procedure. The duration of the investigation depends on a number of factors, including the complexity of each case, the extent to which the companies cooperate with the Competition Council and the parties’ exercise of the right of defense. The progress of the investigation will be reported further “as the case develops”, the antimonopoly authority promises.
