The Competition Appellate Tribunal has upheld the Competition Commission of Pakistan’s finding that the Pakistan Poultry Association engaged in cartelisation, while reducing the penalty imposed on the association from Rs50 million to Rs25 million.
In its order, the tribunal disposed of the long-pending appeal filed by the association and directed the PPA to deposit the reduced fine within 15 days of receiving the decision.
The case dates back to 2010, when the Competition Commission penalised the Pakistan Poultry Association and its members for colluding on poultry product prices in violation of Section 4 of the Competition Act. The enforcement action led to prolonged litigation over alleged cartel behaviour in the poultry sector.
During the hearing, counsel for the association stated that the appellant had no objection to the appeal being decided in accordance with a 2022 Supreme Court judgment in a comparable matter, in which the apex court had taken a more lenient view on penalties.
Relying on that precedent, and with the consent of the appellant, the tribunal reduced the fine, holding that the facts of the present case were largely similar to those considered by the Supreme Court.
The tribunal disposed of the appeal without re-examining the merits of the cartelisation findings, thereby maintaining the Competition Commission’s determination of a violation.
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