Imperial Tobacco has paid a USD 16.5 million fine, which was imposed by the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine (AMC), reported Interfax Ukraine.

The fine was handed to Imperial Tobacco, which includes Imperial Tobacco Ukraine and Imperial Tobacco Production Ukraine, for “violating competition laws”. According to the report, the AMC, “made the corresponding decision on October 10, 2019 as part of a case of conspiracy between the monopoly distributor of cigarettes and manufacturers of tobacco products. The total amount of fines imposed on all participants in the conspiracy reached UAH 6.5 billion [USD 233 million].”
According to the report, Imperial Tobacco tried to appeal the decision, but, on July 20, the capital’s court rejected it. The appeal demanded the invalidation of the decision made by the AMC to impose fines on Imperial Tobacco and on the other entities involved in the case. The agency also stated, “The Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine positively evaluates the decision of Imperial Tobacco not to delay further judicial red tape and pay a fine for violating competition laws. The AMC hopes that other entities involved will follow this example."