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Denmark: Demolition Company fined DKK 1 million in bid rigging case
The City Court of Hillerød has fined the demolition company Nedrivningsaktieselskabet J. Jensen DKK 1 million for exchanging prices with a competing demolition company in four cases. Moreover, the City Court fined two members of the company’s management each DKK 25.000.
The City Court of Hillerød found that the company Nedrivningsaktieselskabet J. Jensen and two management members coordinated bids with a competing demolition company in four cases in the period from June to December 2011. The City Court imposed a fine of DKK 1 million (€ 133.333) on Nedrivningsaktieselskabet J. Jensen as well as DKK 25.000 (€ 3.333) on each of the two members of the management.
The violations include bids on a castle, a hospital, a school and a university.
The case is part of a case complex including several demolition companies. In autumn 2015, the Danish Competition and Consumer Authority conducted inspections at a number of companies in the demolition industry. Based on these inspections and further investigation, the Danish Competition Council decided to hand over the case to the State Prosecutor for Serious Economic and International Crime in April 2016. The State Prosecutor investigated the cases and initiated criminal proceedings.
In the case complex, a number of companies are accused of bid coordination in the period from May 2011 to October 2013. The cases against four other companies have already been settled with fines (one of them being under appeal). In the following months, rulings in the remaining cases in the demolition industry are expected.