EXPERT GROUP ON EXPOSING AND SUPPRESSING CARTELS FACILITATES EFFICIENT COOPERATION BETWEEN FAS AND LAW ENFORCERS

Measures adopted as a result of the Group’s efforts increased criminal cases against competition restriction

On 31 May 2019, the Expert Group on exposing and suppressing cartels at the Inter-Departmental Working Group for Countering Economic Crimes held a meeting at the General Prosecutor’s Office.

Attendees included representatives of the General Prosecutor’s Office of the Russian Federation, the Federal Antimonopoly Service, the Ministry of Interior and the Federal Financial Monitoring Service.

The purpose of establishing the Expert Group at the General Prosecutor’s Office of the Russian Federation is to increase efficiency of control over compliance with the anti-cartel norms of the law.

Participants discussed the progress in execution of No. 618 Order of the President of the Russian Federation “On the main directions of the state policy towards competition development, implementation of the man mechanisms of inter-departmental cooperation and issues of criminal enforcement practice.

Head of FAS Anti-Cartel Department Andrey Tenishev pointed out that the measures undertaken by the Expert Group helped improve the efforts of the law enforcement and antimonopoly bodies on exposing and suppressing cartels. In 2018, the law enforcement bodies received 148 statements about offences, including 81 filed under Article 178 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. 34 criminal cases were opened by the bodies of interior affairs and the Investigation Committee, of which 15 cases under Article 178 of the Criminal Code.

In 2018-2019, the pretrial investigation agencies forwarded four criminal cases from this category to Courts for substantive consideration.

For the purposes of further collaboration, inter-departmental working groups were formed at the regional Prosecutor’ Offices in 2018, involving antimonopoly bodies.

Ending the meeting, its participants highlighted the need to focus on monitoring tenders on allocating natural resources and bid-rigging collusions as well as suppressing cartel operators in the course of implementing the national projects.