The Specialized Chamber in Defense of Competition of the Indecopi (SDC) confirmed, in the second and final administrative instance, a fine of 2,495 UIT (tax tax units), equivalent to more than S/ 11 million, to the companies Quad/Graphics Perú SRL and Corporación Gráfica Navarrete SA for acting in an anti-competitive manner in the school textbook printing market, after sharing selection procedures between 2009 and 2016.
The evidence analyzed showed that representatives and workers of the investigated companies coordinated clandestinely through emails, telephone calls and meetings, the distribution of public tenders, special processes, among others, convened by the Ministry of Education (Minedu) to provide the printing service. of school textbooks, as well as by the National Institute of Statistics and Informatics (INEI).
In addition, in several cases the economic offers made by the infringers sought to simulate the existence of competition between them. Therefore, Quad/Graphics was sanctioned with a fine of 1929.51 UIT and Navarrete with 565.49 UIT.
Indecopi also confirmed the responsibility of two natural persons who appealed the Commission’s decision, to whom a total fine of 89.82 UIT was applied, equivalent to more than S/ 400,000.
The corrective measure imposed in the first instance was also confirmed, so that the offending companies implement a ‘Compliance Program’ in matters of free competition. This seeks to counteract the conditions that may promote or allow the generation of new anticompetitive behaviors and reduce future violations of the law.