Signs of Illegal Collusion Uncovered in Multiple Russian Regions.
Evidence of potential unlawful collusion has been identified in Moscow, the Republic of North Ossetia, the Rostov Region, the Sverdlovsk Region, and the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area, according to Russia’s Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS).
The agency has launched a case for alleged violations of antitrust laws involving three bidders in public procurement tenders for medical equipment, including ventilators and ultrasound systems. The companies involved are MegaMed Corporation LLC, RUS LLC, and an individual entrepreneur, all suspected of forming an anti-competitive agreement aimed at price-fixing during tenders.
According to FAS, the alleged cartel enabled the parties to secure state contracts worth 949 million rubles ($11,7 million). Should their guilt be proven, the cartel members may face turnover-based fines.
This development follows a series of similar investigations: in May, FAS uncovered a cartel in medical instrument procurement worth 1.2 billion rubles; in June, another cartel was identified in tenders for medical products in St. Petersburg and the Kaliningrad Region, totaling over 620 million rubles. In August, the agency reported a separate medical cartel valued at over 1.5 billion rubles.
Source: FAS
