The Competition Council (CC) has won the lawsuit filed by telecom operator Orange Romania to cancel the fine of about EUR 35 million, Bucharest Court of Appeal (CAB) maintaining amount of the fine, judicial sources declared for profit.ro. The decision can be appealed to the High Court.
The representatives of France Telecom’s local subsidiary declined to comment.
In February 2011, the Competition Council has imposed fines of RON 268.33 million (EUR 63 million) for Orange Romania and Vodafone Romania for abuse of dominant position.
For Orange Romania, the fine amounted to RON 147.9 million and represented 3.6 percent of the operator’s turnover in 2010.
In Vodafone Romania case, the sanction was set at 3.45 percent of its turnover in 2010, RON 120.3 million respectively.
Sources pointed out that the fines were not paid by the two mobile operators, being the last two cases the Court agreed to suspend the sanction.
In June 2013, Orange Romania lawyers got at CAB decision annul by which the Competition Council has fined the mobile phone company.