OREANDA-NEWS. May 17, 2012. The Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS Russia) found that participants of competitive bidding for supplying food products for the needs of the Ministry of Defence, the Federal Guard Service of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Interior of the Russian Federation responsible for a collusion to maintain prices at the maximum level (in violation of Clause 2 Part 1 Article 11 of the Federal Law “On Protection of Competition”), reported the press-centre of FAS Russia.

The case was initiated upon a petition of the Federal Service for Defence Procurement.

In course of the inspection, the Antimonopoly Service established that participants of competitive bidding had concluded and implemented an agreement to divide ten lots in order to maintain prices at the maximum level. 20 companies, including the largest Russian producers of meat products, were engaged in the cartel.

The cartel participants will be held administratively liable and imposed fines. FAS will also approach the law enforcement bodies to initiate a criminal case against executives of these organizations for violating Article 178 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.