Antitrust Law Daily Wrap Up, ANTITRUST NEWS: Quebec individuals sentenced in gasoline price fixing scheme, (Aug 19, 2013)
Organizations Mentioned:Petro-Canada
By Edward L. Puzzo, J.D.
Three individuals have been sentenced for their role in a price fixing scheme involving certain Quebec retail gasoline markets, the Canada Competition Bureau announced on August 16, 2013.
A Canadian Competition Bureau investigation, first made public in 2008, indicated that the scheme involved local operators, who had responsibility for setting the final price at the pump, colluding on prices at the pump and the timing of price increases. In March 2013, the three individuals had been found guilty of conspiring to fix the price of retail gasoline.
The Quebec Superior Court has now sentenced Yves Gosselin, an Irving employee, Michel Lagrandeur, an independent dealer under the Shell banner, and Linda Proulx, an independent dealer under the Petro-Canada banner, to pay a fine of $15,000 each.
The Canadian Competition Bureau reports that 39 individuals and 15 companies have now been charged with criminal price-fixing in this investigation and that, to date, 33 individuals and 7 companies have pleaded or were found guilty, with fines totaling over $3 million, and 6 individuals sentenced to terms of imprisonment totaling 54 months.
News: Antitrust