The Administrative Council for Economic Defense (CADE) has fined (27 November) 12 companies and two individuals more than R$59 million (USD 168,522) for operating a cartel in the fuel resale market in Francisco Beltrão, Paraná. In addition, Cade penalized one company and one individual for attempting to form a cartel in Marmeleiro, Paraná.
The case, initiated in 2020 after a complaint from the Paraná Public Prosecutor’s Office, uncovered evidence of price manipulation, coordinated sales conditions, and exchanges of sensitive information between gas stations in 2016 and 2017. Electronic messages between participants confirmed these anti-competitive practices.
Counselor Camila Alves, rapporteur for the case, emphasized that cartel activity, including price-fixing and market division, inherently harms competition and consumers. “The harmful effects on competition are presumed from this type of practice,” Alves stated, underscoring Cade’s strict stance against such violations.
The fines include over R$56 million for the involved companies and more than R$3 million for individuals. Cade reaffirmed its commitment to combat cartels, highlighting this decision as part of a broader crackdown on similar practices in Paraná and Santa Catarina.
