MOSCOW OFAS IS ONE OF THE LEADERS AMONG ANTIMONOPOLY OFFICES FOR EXPOSING CARTELS

Deputy Head of FAS Anti-Cartel Department, Tahir Sherba announced this during public discussions of the enforcement practice of Moscow OFAS

On 8 June 2018, the Office of the Federal Treasury in Moscow held public discussions of the enforcement practice of Moscow OFAS.

Deputy Head of FAS Anti-Cartel Department, Tahir Sherba outlined the results of FAS efforts to counter cartels and other anticompetitive agreements in 2017.

“We see sustainable and systemic efforts of Moscow OFAS on exposing cartels, with clear and understandable approaches to proving anticompetitive agreements. The position of the antimonopoly authority is supported by Courts. At the same time, a lot of petitions on administrative leniency are filed”, pointed out Tahir Sherba.

“Adopting the National Competition Development Plan is a landmark for FAS”, said Tahir Sherba. ”Decartelization of road construction is a separate item in the Plan. We will continue strengthening our work in this area. Recently, anticompetitive agreements in construction have been exposed in 64 regions. FAS revealed collusion signs in more than 500 competitive procedures with the total amount of the initial (maximum) contract prices exceeding 75.3 billion RUB. Regarding decartelizaton of social food products supplies, FAS undertakes robust efforts jointly with the Al-Russian People’s Front. Our primary task is to ensure high-quality product supplies at the minimum costs.  It can be achieved only under healthy competition”, stated the speaker.

The representative of the antimonopoly body emphasized the importance of cooperation with the law enforcement bodies since cartels are often associated with abuse of office by the ordering parties.

In conclusion, the speaker highlighted the importance of not only exposing cartels but also preventing them, particularly, through competition advocacy and developing the institution of antimonopoly compliance.