Peru: Customers request compensation following VNG collusion ring

The Unitary Command of Workers of Terrestrial Transport of Peru and the Association of Indignant Consumers announced that they will request compensation over the effects of a price-fixing ring in the vehicular natural gas (VNG) supply sector among several companies. According to markets and consumer protection agency INDECOPI, it has already set fines for more than S/458 million (US$138 million) on 64 companies for forming a cartel, as well as S/1.7 million (approximately US$513,000) to 29 executives involved in the case.

“There has only been one case in history, in Chile, in which the companies that had agreed on the price of toilet paper came back after a long time and, after hard work identifying who would be the beneficiaries” said the agency referring to the recent case known as “Caso Tissue”, which affected the toilet paper market in several South American countries.

Elmer Mercado, coordinator of the Unitary Command of Workers of Terrestrial Transport of Peru, indicated that 90% of the 252,000 taxi drivers in Lima make use of VNG, so there would be a large number of people affected.