FAS WILL TRAIN ACTIVISTS OF THE UNITED PEOPLE’S FRONT

During a webinar of the People’s Front on the key areas of their anti-corruption project, the parties agreed about training on exposing cartels

Anton Getta, the coordinator of the “For Fair Procurement” project of the United People’s Front, a member of the State Duma, pointed out that the constructive work with the Federal Antimonopoly Service already generates results.

He said: “Last year activists of the People’s Front monitored procurement of food products for educational and medical facilities. As a result, activists found signs of cartels in procurement for over 132 billion RUB. We passed all information to FAS. Inspections are going in 43 regions. 45 antimonopoly cases are already opened”.

The member of the legislature reported that the efforts on exposing cartels will continue.

“This year we intend to focus on cartels in the medicine, construction and other sectors. We already have exposed and confirmed violations in those sectors, including a cartel at auctions for supplying drugs and medical products for over 400 million RUB in the Samara regions, and recently revealed signs of a drug cartel in the Krasnodar region for 36 bullion RUB”, stated Anton Getta.

Head of FAS Anti-Cartel Department Andrey Tenishev pointed out that the Antimonopoly Service is interested in joint work. “Overall, last year 423 cases on anticompetitive agreements were opened; of which 360 cartels and 310 bid-rigging collusions. Recently, bid-rigging cartels have undergone quality changes. Sometimes, a single cartel covers hundreds and thousands auctions. Cartel members frequently make arrangements not only between each other but also with the authorities”, explained Andrey Tenishev.

He emphasized that countering cartels enjoys the highest-level support. “There is an Order of the President of Russia on the National Competition Development Plan, which directly instructed us and the law enforcement bodies to establish cooperation in order to expose and suppress criminally punishable cartels. Second, recently there was a State Council on developing competition, where Vladimir Putin stated directly that a stricter punishment than for the antimonopoly law can be imagined only for treason and murder. Cartels encroach on economic security of the state and it is a good message to the law enforcement bodies that criminal cases must be opened because practice shows that even multi-million fines sometimes do not deter violations”, said Head of FAS Anti-Cartel Department.