After 10 days, FAS will file a lawsuit against LG for manipulating the prices of smartphones

Within 10 days, the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) will file an administrative lawsuit against the South Korean company LG. She is suspected of manipulating the prices of smartphones in Russia.



The case against the company is “literally at the final, technological stage of arousal”, said FAS Deputy Head Andrei Tsarikovsky to a RIA Novosti correspondent.



The intention of the department to initiate an administrative case against LG became known on May 18. The reason for the inspection was the complaint of the Russians. Tsarikovskiy explained then that the talk was about the manipulation of prices for flagship and some other models of smartphones.



FAS had questions to other manufacturers of smartphones. So, during the audit, Samsung violations were found. After verification, Philips decided to transfer the case to the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC), said Andrei Tenishev, the head of the department for combating FAS cartels.



Representatives of the agency began checking in the offices of LG and Philips in mid-February. The FAS received repeated complaints about price collusion in the sale of equipment. According to the inspectors, Philips obstructed the investigation. In turn, the company itself argued that Philips is helping employees of the antimonopoly service.



In December 2016, the FAS sent requests to LG, Alcatel, Sony and Asus companies in connection with complaints about price collusion on the smartphones of these manufacturers in Russia. At the same time, the service became interested in prices for Samsung and Phillips smartphones.



Also in December, FAS filed cases against four Apple resellers due to the failure to provide information on the implementation of iPhone smartphones. It was about two “daughters” of one of Russia's largest digital retailers, Merlion, LLC Kronar and LLC Haskel.



Administrative cases were initiated in the framework of the proceedings of the department on suspicion of price coordination in sales of iPhone 6S and 6S Plus, wrote Kommersant.



FAS inspected such retailers as Citylink, M.Video, Eldorado, Euroset, Ozon, Re: Store, Svyaznoy, Yulmart, Media Markt, Kholodilnik.ru, DNS, Ion (Know-how), Technosila, as well as retail networks of mobile operators MTS, VimpelCom and MegaFon. In addition, the service checked the official Apple store in the Russian Federation.