CARTEL PARTICIPANTS VOLUNTARILY RETURNED MORE THAN 900 MILLION RUB TO THE STATE BUDGET
Damage caused to the state due to illegal actions of the "NMRC named after Meshalkin" and heads of several companies is estimated at 1.3 billion rubles
We remind that in 2018 the Novosibirsk Regional Office of the FAS Russia revealed a series of bid ridding for the supply of medicines and medical products, the customer of which was the FSBI "NMRC named after Meshalkin".
Regional Office of the FAS Russia reviewed five cases on violation of antimonopoly legislation. In two of these cases, competition-limiting agreements between the FSBI and the bidders were identified, and three cases had a cartel in tender1. The total amount of revenue from these anti-competitive agreements is estimated at 6.4 billion rubles. The antimonopoly authority fined economic entities participating in cartels for more than 211 million rubles.
Case materials sent by the FAS to law enforcement authorities have formed the basis of criminal cases under the articles "Restriction of competition", "Fraud" and "Legalization of funds (money laundering)"2 for purchasing for the needs of the FSBI. The criminal case on the fact of restricting competition is on trial now. Investigation of the second criminal case is continuing.
It should be noted that during the investigation of criminal cases, participants of anticompetitive agreements voluntarily compensated more than 900 million rubles for damage.
"Interaction of law enforcement and antimonopoly authorities to prevent anticompetitive agreements in the procurement of medicines and medical equipment in the Novosibirsk region is an example of the implementation of the List of instructions from the President of the Russian Federation to implement measures aimed at identifying and suppressing the cartel activities 3. We will continue to work together to restore order in public procurement and suppress cartel activity. We recommend that potential participants in such collusions should use someone else's mistake to make sure that they have to pay for their participation in cartels – with their freedom, wallet and reputation," said Andrey Tenishev, Head of the Anti-Cartel Department of the FAS Russia.
1 The first cartel: Favorit LLC, Klatona LLC, Novomed LLC, Legion Novosibirsk LLC, InfoMed LLC, Medical systems LLC, and Farminter LLC;
The second cartel: Medical systems LLC and Farminter LLC, Bespereboinye Medpostavki LLC, CRM Siberia LLC, CRM Stolitsa LLC;
The third cartel: the Company FITO LLC and Terra LLC.
2 Article 178 of the Criminal Code (Restriction of competition), Article 159 of the Criminal Code (Fraud) and Article 174.1 of the Criminal Code ( Legalization of Funds (Money Laundering) or Another Property Illegally Acquired by Other Persons).
3 List of instructions of the President of the Russian Federation No. 1525 of August 5, 2017.