Two companies fined 5 million lei for allegedly defrauding police on video surveillance purchase
The Competition Council fined two companies a total of five million lei for forming a bid-rigging cartel in the procurement procedure for portable video surveillance systems, carried out by the General Inspectorate of Police.
The Competition Council found that two companies, S.R.L. "Rapid Link," founded by Victor Baciu, and S.R.L. "Victiana," managed by Vladislav Papanaga, allegedly coordinated their actions illegally. They reportedly predetermined the outcome of a contract, submitting rigged bids to create a false appearance of competition.
"In reality, this mechanism eliminated any competitive uncertainty and resulted in the contract being awarded to the company that proposed the highest price. The established facts constitute a violation of Article 5 of the Competition Law, which prohibits any agreements or concerted practices that restrict or distort competition," the institution stated.
The two companies have 30 days to appeal the Competition Council's decision.
It is worth noting that "Rapid Link" was also sanctioned in 2024 by the Competition Council for similar practices in a public procurement procedure organized by the Information Technology and Cybersecurity Service. At that time, the company was fined approximately 1.5 million lei.
"Rapid Link" has appealed the Council's decision in court, and there is currently no final verdict in that case.
