FAS OPENED CASE UPON ELEMENTS OF BID-RIGGING CARTEL

The companies are suspected of an anticompetitive agreement and collusion with the ordering party

FAS opened a case against “YANTARSERVICEBALTIC” Ltd., “Artel” Ltd. and “Construction Prospects” Ltd. upon signs of an anticompetitive agreement in preparing and participating in procurement of works for constructing a secondary school in the Vostochny residential district of Kaliningrad for 1.3 billion RUB and procurement of works for constructing “Regional Oncological Centre. The Kaliningrad region” for 4.2 billion RUB (Clause 2 Part 1 Article 11 of the Federal Law “On Protection of Competition”).

“YANTARSERVICEBALTIC” Ltd., “Artel” Ltd. and “Construction Prospects” Ltd., Kaliningrad Capital Construction Department and the “Oncological Centre of the Kaliningrad Region” State Budgetary Medical Facility are suspected of collusion (Clause 1 Part 1 Article 17 of the Federal Law “On Protection of Competition”).

Evidence of an anticompetitive agreement was found during an unscheduled on-site inspection of “YANTARSERVICEBALTIC” Ltd.

A presumable protocol of a meeting between “YANTARSERVICEBALTIC” Ltd. and “Construction Prospects” Ltd., that agreed to share the revenue from constructing a school in the Vostochny residential district of Kaliningrad, was published in the internet.

Stats-secretary, Deputy Head of FAS Andrey Tsarikovskiy emphasized: “An impulse of opening the case on the suspected cartel was given by Governor of the Kaliningrad region, who received a protocol of potential violators and published it in his social media. The materials gave additional information and evidence of the collusion to the antimonopoly bodies. This signal also shows that Governor is not indifferent and is involved in the goals of countering corruption, decartelization of Russian economy and fulfilling the National projects”.

The school was partially financed from the budget of National projects.

“FAS pays special attention to control over projects that are financed through the budget of the National projects. The funds allocated to these purposes and distributed through the public procurement system must be spent with the maximum efficiency”, added Deputy Head of FAS.