(Bratislava 30.06.2009) The Antimonopoly Office of the SR has been already accepting also requests for application for the leniency program in cases when undertaking submits information and evidences being decisive for performing inspections with the aim to obtain a decisive evidence of cartel agreement existence – thus for performing the targeted inspections.

The leniency program is efficient instrument of competition authorities in their fight against cartel agreements. It allows non-imposing or reducing a fine on undertakings cooperating with the Office in disclosing and proving cartel agreements. Up to now the undertakings could apply it only in case when they provided the Office with the evidence enabling to prove a cartel agreement.

 

Establishing the targeted inspections also undertakings which provide decisive evidence for performing an inspection may obtain the full immunity from sanctions. The information submitted by an undertaking on the fact where the Office will find the evidence about a cartel suffices as the evidence.

 

The possibility to use a summary request for application for the leniency program at the other competition authority within the Member States of the European Union is another novelty in the leniency program. The application filed at one competition authority is not considered to be also the application filed at other competition authority. Therefore, to reduce the administrative load by filing the complete applications at more competition authorities an applicant may ensure itself the first position in the order by filing the brief summary applications at more competition authorities.

 

Detailed information about the leniency program can be found at the Office’s website - http://www.antimon.gov.sk/files/30/2008/LeniencyII_final_en.rtf .