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Competition Council wins against Romania Mol company
The High Court of Cassation and Justice irrevocably confirmed that Romania Mol company violated the fair competition law by taking part in a cartel-type understanding alongside other companies operating in the fuel market, the Competition Council announced on Thursday.
The Court also cut the fine applied by the competition body to Mol to 64.2 million lei from 80.2 million lei.
"The Court ruling gives us reason for joy, as natural, since it confirms that the investigations conducted by us are solid and well-argued. We are also optimistic as regards the other lawsuits against the oil companies, as this is the first irrevocably-settled case of six being judged at the High Court of Cassation and Justice", the Competition Council chairman Bogdan Chiritoiu said.
Previously, Bucharest Court of Appeal had sustained the competition body's decision, a reason why the company lodged an appeal to the High Court, which dismissed it as groundless, while slashing the fine.
At end-2011, the Competition Council fined six oil companies nearly 880 million lei (205 million euros) for having forged an anti-competition understanding. Following the inquiry, the fair competition authority found that the six companies had violated both the competition law and the Treaty on Functioning of the European Union by deciding to simultaneously withdraw Eco Premium petrol grade from the market.
The body fined OMV Petrom 366.5 million lei, OMV Petrom Marketing 137.2 million lei, Rompetrol Downstream 159.5 million lei, Romania Lukoil 136.8 million lei, Mol Romania Petroleum Products 80.2 million lei and Romania ENI 11.1 million lei. The fines were enforced by the National Tax Management Agency.