OREANDA-NEWS. August 31, 2011. The 8th Arbitration Appeal Court upheld the decision of the Office of the Federal Antimonopoly Service in the Omsk Region (Omsk OFAS Russia) regarding wholesale suppliers of buckwheat, reported the press-centre of FAS Russia.

In September 2010, Omsk OFAS Russia found that “Shkurenko” Trading House” Ltd., an individual entrepreneur R. Frik, “Melnitsa” Trading House” Ltd., an individual entrepreneur M. Odintsov, “Omskoye” OJSC, “SibSol” Trading House” Ltd., “Inkos” Trading House” Ltd., an individual entrepreneur V. Kolesnikov, an individual entrepreneur K. Malinovskaya, and an individual entrepreneur A. Drozdov violated Part 1 Article 11 of the Federal Law “On Protection of Competition”.

The market players violated the law by engaging in concerted actions on the wholesale buckwheat market in the Omsk Region that resulted in fixing unreasonably high prices in July - August 2010.

“Shkurenko” Trading House” Ltd., “Melnitsa” Trading House” Ltd., “Omskoye” OJSC, “SibSol” Trading House” Ltd. and “Inkos” Trading House” Ltd. disagreed with the decision of the antimonopoly body and filed a lawsuit.

Omsk Regional Arbitration Court and the 8th Arbitration Appeal Court confimred legitimacy of the decision made by Omsk OFAS Russia.

“The Appeal Court upheld our decision and confirmed concerted actions of the wholesale buckwheat suppliers in terms of fixing and maintaining unreasonably high prices for buckwheat sold in Omsk and the Omsk region in the period of panic demand caused by the draught in summer 2010. The ruling will enable us to promptly and efficiently finalize the case by imposing administrative fines upon the violators”, said the Head of Omsk OFAS Russia, Mr. Sergey Sumenkov.