Sic sanctioned cartel in Nariño for bid rigging in the construction sector
The Superintendence of Industry and Commerce (SIC), in its role as National Authority for Competition Protection, sanctioned RICHARD ALEXANDER CASTRO ARTEAGA and DIEGO ADOLFO ROBLES BOLAÑOS with a fine of COP $101,508,684 for bid rigging in 15 different selection processes carried out between 2013 and 2017 in the construction sector, in different cities of the Department of Nariño.
The SIC also sanctioned JONATHAN IVÁN ASCUNTAR PORTILLA and JAMES ANDRÉS ASCUNTAR PORTILLA for having collaborated and facilitated these anticompetitive agreements.
The projects investigated where, among others, the construction of roads, educational centers and libraries in Nariño, Colombia.
The SIC managed to prove that RICHARD ALEXANDER CASTRO ARTEAGA and DIEGO ADOLFO ROBLES BOLAÑOS structured an anti-competitive agreement through which they continuously executed a dynamic that affected free economic competition in fifteen (15) public selection processes carried out by different cities of the Department of Nariño between 2013 and 2017, in which RICHARD ALEXANDER CASTRO ARTEAGA and DIEGO ADOLFO ROBLES BOLAÑOS appeared to be independent competitors when in fact they jointly managed their participation in the selection processes in order to increase the chances of being awarded the highest prices possible.
