The Office Imposed Another Maximum Possible Fine for Obstruction of a Dawn Raid, This Time on Undertaking MIT METAL POWER

2022-10-21
In its first-instance decision, the Office for the Protection of Competition (hereinafter referred to as "the Office") imposed a fine of CZK 1,870,000 on MIT METAL POWER, a.s. for hindering a dawn raid. An appeal was filed against the decision.

"The Office will not tolerate the hindering of its investigations. If an undertaking fails to allow an inspection to be carried out, it must automatically expect the maximum amount of fine, i.e. 1% of its turnover, eventually CZK 300,000. The fine can also be imposed repeatedly, up to 10% of turnover," said Kamil Nejezchleb, Vice-Chairman of the Office.

In April this year, the undertaking MIT METAL POWER did not allow the completion of an unannounced on-site inspection, which the Office intended to carry out at its business premises in two locations within the Czech Republic. By doing so, it committed an offence pursuant to the Competition Act, which imposes an obligation on undertakings to tolerate the inspection and provide necessary cooperation.

The fine was initially imposed by the order, against which the party to the proceedings has filed an objection. The case was subsequently subject to the standard administrative proceedings in which the fine was imposed by the decision. Petr Mlsna, Chairman of the Office, will decide on the appeal.

This is the fourth undertaking to be fined for this type of offence in a short period of time. Two months ago, the Office informed about the punishment of the undertakings Marc spol. s r.o., EUROTUBES s.r.o. and HK STEEL TRADING s.r.o.

Press Unit of the Office for the Protection of Competition
22/0150 – V0057/2022

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