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Cartel suspicion on the land value services market

On 15 June 2010 The Hungarian Competition Authority (Gazdasági Versenyhivatal - GVH) held without prior notification dawn-raids at the premises of Á.N.Z.S.Ó. 2001 Szolgáltató és Kereskedelmi Kft, FHB Ingatlan Zrt, Landimpex Szolgáltató és Tanácsadó Kft and Pátria CONSULT Gazdasági Tanácsadó és Vagyonkezelő Zrt.

According to the available data, the GVH finds it reasonable to assume that FHB Ingatlan Zrt and those undertakings that are independent, but were also in contractual relationship with FHB Ingatlan Zrt in 2009 concerning land value assessment services, concluded restrictive agreements when they agreed on the winners of the tenders, the price-fixing and the involvement of the other participants as subcontractors in connection with several public procurement tenders issued by Magyar Nemzeti Vagyonkezelő Zrt between 2009-2010 for land value assessment services.

According to the GVH it is presumable that the undertakings under investigation violated with this behaviour the relevant provisions of the Competition Act in connection with the prohibition on agreements restricting economic competition.

The Competition Act provides the opportunity of carrying out dawn-raids without prior notification. According to the Competition Act, in order to carry out dawn- raids a judicial authorisation shall be obtained in advance.

The initiation of the competition supervision proceeding does not mean that the undertakings in question have actually committed the infringement. The proceeding targets the clarification of the facts and thus to prove that the infringement assumed has been committed. According to the Competition Act, such proceedings must be finished within 6 months, however this time limit can be extended two times by further 6 months each, depending on the complexity of the case.

Case Number: Vj-49/2010.

Budapest, 16 June 2010.

Hungarian Competition Authority
Communication Team

Further information:
József SÁRAI
Hungarian Competition Authority
Address: 1054 Budapest, V., Alkotmány u.5.
Postal address: 1245 Budapest, 5. POB. 1036
Tel: +36-1-472-8933
Email: press@gvh.hu
http://www.gvh.hu