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tankers pinned by the Competition Council

The investigation into the alleged fuel distributors’ cartel was completed, and the Competition Council sent its final complaints to the Groupement des petroliers du Maroc (GPM) and to the 9 operators concerned.

According to Médias24, the sanctions (pecuniary or not) will be determined individually for each company or organization concerned. When it is a business, the maximum amount of the penalty is 10% of national or international turnover. When it is not a business, the maximum amount is 4 million dirhams, reports the same source. “Fuel prices and the suspicion of the existence of anti-competitive practices in the market, after its liberalization in December 2015, have become a recurring, eminently economic, political and social question which preoccupies public opinion”, underlines the Competition Council in a document published last Thursday.

The Economist for his part recalls the charges against the professional association of oil tankers: ” existence of a decision to associate companies and concerted practices as well as the collection, exchange and dissemination of sensitive commercial information between operators members of the GPM ».

Diesel and petrol distributors had two months from May 22, 2019 to respond to the Competition Council. ” Careful and in-depth examination of the GPM’s observations has enabled the Competition Council’s investigation service to maintain the grievances previously notified in broad outline “, Indicates the investigation report.

The survey rapporteur, Mohamed Hicham Bouayad, suggests to the Competition Council “ to inflict DH 4 million “on the professional association of oil tankers, which” corresponds to the legal maximum ”Provided for by article 39 of the law on freedom of prices and competition. ” Not all parties involved (9 companies) are affected by the same grievances “, Specifies the investigation report. As a result, other monetary penalties have been applied to each of the companies involved.

As for these companies, the law provides for a maximum financial penalty ” of 10% of the world or national turnover (1) (…) highest tax realized during the financial years ended since the financial year preceding that during which the (anti-competitive) practices were implemented ».

The members of the Competition Council must, in the next few days, deliberate independently.

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