THE SECOND EPISODE OF LARGE CARTEL IN THE MARKET OF RADIOLOGICAL EQUIPMENT WAS REVEALED

Novosibirsk Regional Office of the FAS Russia together with Rosfinmonitoring revealed a medical cartel in the Siberian Federal District at 89 auctions. The FAS Russia suspects its participants in another one conspiracy for 3 billion rubles

The Authority together with Interregional Department of the Federal Financial Monitoring Service for the Siberian Federal District revealed a cartel in the market for the provision of services for the repair of radiological equipment for the needs of healthcare institutions in the Russian Federation.

Therefore, Novosibirsk RO of the FAS Russia recognized Sibmer LLC and Radiatsionnaya Tekhnika LLC have broken antimonopoly law with participation in 89 auction.

The antimonopoly authority found that the companies conspired and supported the prices at the auction, as well as acting in each other's interests.

“Due to the refusal of the defendants to compete at the auction, conscientious participants who could become winners at the auction and conclude a contract at a favorable budget price suffered,” noted Natalia Kamneva, Deputy Head of the Novosibirsk RO of the FAS Russia.

Total income of the cartel was more than 260 million rubles and business entities are subject to administrative liability, while their officials are subject to criminal liability.

The materials of antimonopoly case from the Siberian Federal District were sent to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia for the Novosibirsk region to make a decision on initiating a criminal case.

Sibmer LLC and Radiatsionnaya Tekhnika LLC are also defendants in another antimonopoly proceedings of the FAS Russia. The companies are suspected of supporting the price at 475 auctions for the maintenance work on medical radiological equipment. The amount of these contracts was more than 3 billion rubles.

“Besides, now criminal cases have been initiated against officials of the company, which is undergoing 2 episodes of cartel investigations in Moscow and Novosibirsk, on the grounds of a crime under Part 5 of Article 291 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (bribing at auctions). I am sure that the facts of cartel collusion in procurement will become new episodes in the criminal case,” said Andrey Tenishev, Head of the Anti-Cartel Department of the FAS Russia.