Saudi Gazette report
RIYADH — The General Authority for Competition announced imposition of fines amounting to SR36.9 million on 13 establishments after they were found to have violated the Competition Law, specifically by agreeing to fixing prices.

The authority has referred the erring establishments to the Committee for Adjudicating Violations of the Competition Law. These measures are part of the authority's efforts to promote fair competition and combat monopolistic practices in the Saudi market.

The authority confirmed that it has identified five cases in various sectors related to establishments violating Article 5 of the Competition Law, Paragraph 1 of the Competition Law. This was in line with the authority’s duties and responsibilities in enforcing the Competition Law. After conducting investigations into the violations, the authority referred cases of these establishments to the Committee for Adjudicating Violations of the Competition Law, with the exception of those establishments that settled the violations in accordance with Article 23 of the law.

The committee has issued five decisions penalizing the erring establishments for their proven violations of Article 5, which prohibits agreements between establishments, whether written or oral, aimed at preventing disruption of competition, particularly those related to setting or proposing prices for goods and services and the terms of sale or purchase. All decisions of the committee have become final.

The authority urged all establishments to comply with the law and its executive regulations and to operate within the framework of fair competition that encourages consumer choice and supports market growth and efficiency within a framework of justice and transparency. It also encourages establishments to review the guidelines on compliance with the Competition Law available on the Imtithal portal.