The Czech Antimonopoly Office (UOHS) has fined 12 Czech contractors a total of CZK 278m over charges of running a cartel. Among the contractors fined are Hochtief, Swietelsky, Colas, Strabag and OHL ŽS, with Hochtief’s fine reportedly in the tens of millions of crowns, the highest of them all. Hospodářské noviny cites Petr Rafaj, chairman of ÚOHS, as saying the companies created a cartel through which they coordinated bidding in public tenders. The companies can still appeal the fine. The antimonopoly office detected the cartel during investigations over another cartel, whose unravelling led to fines in February of CZK 1.66bn.
