Bulgaria Competition Commission fines firm €15,000 for obstructing cartel probe
The Competition Commission of Bulgaria (KZK) imposed an asset‑based penalty of €14,747.83 on a company that failed to cooperate with an on‑site inspection conducted as part of a cartel investigation. The probe concerned public procurement contracts for the delivery, installation and maintenance of IT equipment.
During the April inspection, KZK teams, assisted by Ministry of Interior personnel and operating under a court order, faced obstacles: email correspondence and chat messages were deleted and access to another chat application was disrupted. KZK determined the company violated its duty to assist under Articles 46 and 50 of the Competition Protection Act. The fine, calculated at up to 1 % of the firm’s previous‑year revenue, is within the statutory maximum and is intended to deter similar interference. The decision is subject to appeal.
Entities: Competition Commission of Bulgaria · Ministry of Interior (Bulgaria)
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 3 SOURCES] The investigation concerned a cartel in public procurement contracts for IT equipment delivery, installation and maintenance. (KZK statement)
- [● 3 SOURCES] The decision can be appealed. (KZK decision)
- [● 3 SOURCES] The Competition Commission of Bulgaria imposed an asset‑based fine of €14,747.83 on a company for not cooperating with an on‑site inspection in a cartel investigation. (KZK decision)
- [● 3 SOURCES] The fine amount is within the legal maximum of up to 1 % of the company's revenue from the previous fiscal year. (Competition Protection Act)
- [● 3 SOURCES] The on‑site inspections were carried out in April by KZK teams with assistance from Ministry of Interior staff and after a court order. (KZK decision)
- [● 3 SOURCES] During the inspection, email correspondence and chat messages were deleted, and access to another chat application was disrupted. (KZK report)