OREANDA-NEWS. April 04, 2013. Moscow Arbitration Court confirmed legitimacy of the determination of the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS Russia) to hold “GAZPROM” OJSC administratively liable for abusing market dominance and fine the company over 17.5 million Rubles.

Earlier the FAS Commission found that “GAZPROM” OJSC violated the law on competition protection by fixing monopolistically high price for liquid sulfur in the market of the Russian Federation.

In March 2011 prices for liquid sulfur increased by 246% in comparison with February 2011 and continued growing during the entire 2011.

“GAZPROM” OJSC submitted information, according to which sulfur prices are fixed under the formulae depending on the world prices for sulfur, diammonium phosphate and a number of coefficients.

In the FAS opinion, the world price for diammonium phosphate as well as applying multiplying coefficients using world prices for this type of phosphorus-containing fertilizers cannot be considered as the main determinant of sulfur price and the conditions for its sale on the domestic market.

“GAZPROM” OJSC disagreed with the FAS determination and filed a lawsuit to Moscow Arbitration Court, which, however, dismissed the claim.

“Suppressing the violation of the antimonopoly law on the market of liquid sulfur in the part of fixing monopolistically high price for the goods must positively influence a relevant market – the market of complex mineral fertilizers, which is its main consumer”, commented the Head of the FAS Department for Control over Chemical Industry and the Agro-Industrial Complex, Anna Mirochinenko.