OREANDA-NEWS. July 22, 2013. The Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS Russia) finalized the case on a cartel on the market of wholesale supplies of salmon and trout from Norway to Russia. FAS found that the “Association of Production and Trading Companies on the Fish Market” Non-Commercial Organization and the Federal Service for Veterinary and Phyto-Sanitary Surveillance [Rosselkhznadzor] violated Article 16 of the Federal Law “On Protection of Competition” (an anticompetitive agreement between the authorities and economic entities).

FAS found that a group of persons comprising “Russian Sea” Group of Companies” OJSC, “Russian Fish Company” CJSC and “Russian Sea – Kaliningrad” Ltd.; a group of persons comprising “ITA North Company” CJSC, “SK Ryba” Ltd. and “SK Retail” CJSC, as well as “ProfiBusienss” Ltd., “North Company Kaliningrad” Ltd., and “Atlant-Pacific” CJSC violated Clause 3 Part 1 Article 11 of the Federal Law “On Protection of Competition” (a market-dividing cartel).

FAS also found that the “Association of Production and Trading Companies on the Fish Market” violated Part 5 Article 11 violated the Federal Law “On Protection of Competition” (unlawful coordination of economic activities).

FAS will issue determinations to all violators to eliminate the violations of the antimonopoly law. FAS also intends to verify the statements made by a number of respondents that Norwegian fish suppliers also formed a cartel.

“The companies recognized as violators of the antimonopoly law will be held administratively liable and shall have to pay turnover fines. The Antimonopoly Service shall ask the Ministry of Interior to initiate a criminal investigation under Article 178 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation against executives of the companies participating in the cartel. The decision will also be forwarded to the Investigation Committee for initiating a criminal case under Article 286 of the Criminal Code against officials of Rosselkhznadzor”, said Deputy Head of FAS Alexander Kinev.