Press Release 1/2017

 

 

The Portuguese Competition Authority (Autoridade da Concorrência – AdC) confirms that it carried out dawn raids on 17 January 2017 at the premisses of a driving school association in Lisbon, in the context of an antitrust proceedings, under the powers provided by the Competition Act.

 

The inspections were carried out following information suggesting  the existence of anticompetitive price fixing practices  on driving licences which may substantiate  an infringement to the Competition Act.

 

Unannounced inspections are a mean to obtain evidence of anticompetitive practices. However, the fact that they are carried out does not entail that the involved undertakings will be sanctioned, nor does it imply a judgment on whether the undertakings are guilty of an unlawful conduct in the market.

 

The unannounced inspections carried out by the AdC did not have an impact on the normal functioning of the daily business activities of the association involved.

 

The unannounced inspections were carried out by the Portuguese Competition Authority in cooperation with the Department for Investigation and Criminal Prosecution of Lisbon (DIAP).

 

The infringement of competition rules not only reduces consumer welfare, but also weakens the companies´ competitiveness, undermining the economy as a whole.

 

 

18 january 2017