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PMU €9-Million Fine on Slovnaft Over Discrimination to Be Appealed
Monday 20 December 2010 Zoom in | Print page
Bratislava, December 20 (TASR) - The Anti-Monopoly Office's (PMU) imposed a fine of more than €9 million on oil refinery Slovnaft on December 15 over discrimination detected during its wholesaling of fuel in Slovakia, TASR learned from PMU spokesman Vladimir Ferko.
PMU has found that Slovnaft charged its clients on an individual basis in 2005-06 for diesel and in 2006 for petrol. The pricing decisions were based on the customers' willingness to pay and whether or not it was possible that they would switch to the competition.
As a result, prices for individual customers varied, with those that had fewer options vis-a-vis the competition seeing higher prices for no reason.
Representatives of Slovnaft, which enjoys a dominant position as a wholesaler of fuels in Slovakia, say they disagree with the PMU finding and will appeal against the decision within the 15-day deadline. The oil refinery considers the €9-million fine to be disproportionately high and unjustified, with Slovnaft spokesman Anton Molnar indicating that PMU has misinterpreted Slovnaft's sales policy.
According to Molnar, the approach of Slovnaft has had no impact whatsoever on the marketplace and was in accordance with the Slovak law as well as international practice of companies running the same business abroad.
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