ISLAMABAD: All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association (APCMA) has appealed the Competition Appellate Tribunal (CAT) to annul Rs 6.35 billion penalty imposed by the Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) on APCMA and cement companies on alleged price fixing and collusion.
The Competition Appellate Tribunal (CAT) heard the cement cartel case on Thursday, where Attorney Rashid Anwar, representing the APCMA, articulated his arguments and denied the accusations of price fixing and collusion.
APCMA’s legal representative submitted that there is a competitive landscape within the cement sector, characterised by differing prices. He described the CCP’s decision against cement companies as unjust, pointing out that the Commission had imposed a significant fine on these firms in 2009, even while they were incurring losses.
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Rashid Anwar argued that the Competition Commission did not conduct a proper geographical analysis of cement companies. He said that the quota sharing agreement between the cement companies was signed in 2003 for two years, which had expired by the time the Commission’s decision came. He argued that the CCP did not have reasonable grounds to raid the offices of the APCMA and its member companies. He requested the tribunal to invalidate the decision of the CCP.
Later, the tribunal postponed the hearing of the case until May 22 following the conclusion of APCMA attorney’s arguments.
At the next tribunal session, attorneys representing different cement firms including former Attorney General Khalid Javed Khan, Yousuf Khosa, and Shahbaz Khosa, will put forth their arguments to the tribunal. Once they conclude, CCP’s legal representatives will defend the Commission’s ruling. It should be noted that the CCP had found evidence of alleged agreements and collusion concerning cement price determination (price fixing) involving the APCMA in 2009.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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