Colombia: Grupo Familia accepts role in price-fixing cartel

Grupo Familia, a continental leader in paper products, has released a statement, expressing “to our employees, consumers, customers, providers and the community as a whole, our sincere regret over our part in the events being investigated” by Colombia’s competition regulator, the SIC.

“Grupo Familia recognizes the errors made in the past by some of its directors and employees, and accepts its responsibility. These mistakes do not reflect the company’s origins, or the achievements of over five decades” the statement added.

In 2014 the SIC filed charges against the paper makers Productos Familia SA, Colombiana Kimerly Colpapel SA, Papeles Nacionales SA, Cartones y Papeles de Risaralda, and Drypers Andina SA, over violations to the competition code resulting from their participation in anticompetitive collusion agreements. The companies are accused of a participating in a continent-wide price-fixing of their soft-paper and tissue paper products.

Should the charges stick, fines could rise to over $23 million dollars per company and over $46,000 for each individual involved. However, a report recently delivered to competition Superintendent Pablo Felipe Robledo, is known to have recommended that the charges against Papeles Risaralda and Drypers Andina should be dropped, in favor of focusing the investigation on Familia and Kimberly Colpapel, the market leaders.

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