HEAD OF FAS ANTI-CARTEL DEPARTMENT HELD A MEETING WITH LAW ENFORCERS OF THE PERM REGION

Andrey Tenischevsaid that the case against a former Minister of Transport of the Perm region is an illustrative example of collaboration

The former official is sentenced to imprisonment for taking a bribe from a cartel member to make the latter to win tenders and restrict competition. The criminal investigation was preceded by a decision on a cartel in construction of Chusovoi by-pass, made in 2016 by Perm OFAS.

On 25 July, the Government of the Perm region held a meeting with Head of FAS Anti-Cartel Department Andrey Tenischev, Acting Head of the Governor’s Office, Lev Gershanyuk, representatives of law enforcement bodies.

The focus was on the mechanisms of cooperation between Perm OFAS and power structures since no criminal cases on competition restriction were opened recently in Perm.

“In 2017 the President of the Russian Federation signed a List of orders, according to which antimonopoly and law enforcement bodies must coordinate activities to suppress and expose cartels that threaten national well-being and the economy”, explained Andrey Tenischev.

He said: “The criminal case against the ex-minister of transport clearly shows that cartels fuel corruption. Collaboration established between the bodies will allow tracing, for which criminal goals cartel super-profit is used, and exclude corruption schemes entirely, rather than just reveal a cartel or sentence an official for a bribe”.

The participants also came to an opinion on the need for an educational-and-training course for law enforcers. In the near future officers from FAS Anti-Cartel Department will come to Perm to teach law enforcers how to expose bid-rigging collusions.