ICT fraud draws prosecutor's attention

The Public Prosecutor has initiated an investigation into possible fraud ad price fixing among companies in the automation industry. This is to find out if there is enough evidence for a criminal investigation into the sector, a spokesperson confirmed on Wednesday. The Public Prosecutor will probably receive assistance from the Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM), which has been collecting signals of possible abuses in automation companies for several weeks. "If possible, the information we collect is shared with the Public Prosecutor" says a spokesperson for the cartel watchdog. According to a spokesperson for ACM, they are not doing an active investigation. He points out that the ACM sent a letter to the fifty largest automation companies in the Netherlands last week. In the letter the ACM urged companies to report illegal price-fixing and other forms of competition distortion. Those who report abuses, will qualify for a lower penalty.