OREANDA-NEWS. July 15, 2011. The Head of the FAS Russia’s Cartel Department Alexander Kinev, speaking at the Russian – American Conference on Antimonopoly Practice, which took place in Moscow, informed his colleagues about FAS achievements in 2010 and discussed the most interesting cartel cases, reported the press-centre of FAS Russia.

According to the statistics of the antimonopoly authority, the number of cases initiated by FAS under Article 11 (price collusions and bid-rigging) and Article 16 (anticompetitive agreements involving the authorities) of the Federal Law “On Protection of Competition” steadily increases.

It happens, in particular, due to a new practice of “dawn raids” that involves the procedures of premises search, and search of the documents of the inspected persons, copying electronic information, obtaining written explanations.

“In 2010 FAS Cartel Department conducted 41 inspections”, pointed out Alexander Kinev. “We have certified equipment enabling to obtain an exact copy of information from the computer of the inspected person, recover erased files, browse electronic communication (Skype, ICQ) or determine the list of devices that have ever been connected to a particular computer”.

In 2010 FAS Russia transferred 23 cases to the bodies of the internal affairs in order to consider opening criminal cases under Article 178 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (preventing, restricting or eliminating competition).

Four criminal cases have been initiated based on the materials forwarded by FAS Cartel Department. In particular, the Investigation Committee of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation opened a criminal case under Article 178 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation questioning whether the violator complied with the law in course of an auction for supply of medicines.

Russian - American conference is organized with support of FAS Russia, the Supreme Arbitration Court of the Russian Federation, and the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Moscow. Experts on antimonopoly law discussed the issues related to development of unified judicial approaches to interpretation of the antimonopoly law, main directions of development of Russian competition law, enforcement practice of antimonopoly investigations, etc.