OREANDA-NEWS. On August 09, 2007 "Rosgosstrakh-Centre" Ltd. voluntarily informed the antimonopoly authority that the company had entered into competition restricting agreements, which are forbidden under the laws of the Russian Federation, but further on it refused to participate in the agreements and presented information about the agreements in question to the antimonopoly authority, reported the press-centre of FAS Russia.

Therefore, the insurance company used the administrative immunity programme, provided by Part 2 Article 14.32 of the Code of Administrative Violations of the Russian Federation (CoAV RF).

"Rosgosstrakh-Centre" Ltd. submitted a statement to the Voronezh Regional Office of the Federal Antimonopoly Service and voluntarily informed on its participation in the agreements signed by its branch - "Department in the Voronezh Region" and on termoination of the agreements with "Impeksbank" OJSC, ОАО "URALSIB" OJSC and "Gasenergoprombank" CJSC.

The agreements in question made arrangements between the insurance company and a bank regarding packaged mortgage insurance. Entering into such agreements lead or can lead to fixing or maintaining prices on insurance services, economically or technologically unreasonable refusal to enter into agreements, or preventing market entry, which directly violates Article 11 of the Federal Law " On Protection of Competition".

Following the provisions of the antimonopoly legislation, the Voronezh Regional Office of FAS Russia decided to extend the investigation.

According to Part 2 Article 14.32 of CoAV RF, a person can be exempt from administrative charges for participation in competition restricting agreements or concerted actions, under the following conditions:

- Voluntarily submitting a statement to an antimonopoly body regarding participation in agreements or concerted actions;

- Refusing to participate in agreements or concerted actions;

- Presenting information, necessary to establish a fact of such agreements or concerted actions, to an antimonopoly body.

Administrative charges for participation in competition restricting agreements or concerted actions result in imposing administrative fines upon a person, amounting to 1 % to 15 % of the proceeds of the goods (services) on the market where the violation occurred.