OREANDA-NEWS. On August 13, 2008 the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS Russia) recognized that the "Mechel" group of companies violated Article 10 of the Federal Law "On Protection of Competition" in terms of creating discriminatory conditions for individual consumers of the companies' products; economically and technologically unfounded refusal to enter into a product supply contract; and fixing and maintaining monopolistically high goods prices, reported the press-centre of FAS Russia.

The group of persons including "Mechel" Trading House" Ltd., "Yuzhny Kuzbass" Coal Company" OJSC, "Yakutugol" Holding Company" OJSC and "Mechel Traiding" Company has the dominant position on the market of coking coal concentrates, grades (К (К9), КО, ОС) in the Russian Federation. The case against the group of persons (for abusing dominant position) was initiated on 15th July 2008 upon a petition of "Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works" OJSC, "Altai-Coks" OJSC and "Novolipetsk Steel" OJSC.

Under Article 14.31 of the Code of the Russian Federation on Administrative Violations, abusing dominant position is liable with administrative fine upon legal persons amounted to 1 - 15% of the net sales of the violator on the market, where the violation occurred, in the year preceding the year when the violation was revealed.

Calculating the fine, FAS Russia will take into account that the "Mechel" group of companies admitted the fact of violating Article 10 of the Federal Law "On Protection of Competition" as well as companies' cooperation (assistance) in the investigation and measures undertaken by the companies to eliminate the violations and their consequences.