CA loses P114m bid-rigging case again

The Competition Authority (CA) has lost with costs a Court of Appeal case in which two food-supplying companies were accused of colluding to fix prices in a multi-million-pula tender for the supply of sugar beans to schools across the country.

The companies, Creative Business Solutions, trading as Bread & Butter Foods and Rabbit Group, were said to have colluded to divide tenders worth a combined P114 million amongst themselves.

The companies were also accused of having conspired to fix prices, in contravention of section 25(b) and (c) of the Competition Act. The Authority had acted on a tip-off from an informer alleging that the companies, in response to the tenders, had colluded in terms of pricing. The tender was for the supply of 7,530 metric tonnes of sugar beans to the Ministry of Local Government.

Editor's Comment
Botswana at a critical juncture

While the political shift brings hope for change, it also places immense pressure on the new administration to deliver on its election promises in the face of serious economic challenges.On another level, newly appointed Finance Minister Ndaba Gaolathe’s grim assessment of the country’s finances adds urgency to the moment. The budget deficit, expected to be P8.7 billion, is now anticipated to be even higher due to underperforming diamond...

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