Finland: Appellate court reopens lumber cartel case

An appeals court in Finland ruled Friday to reopen a case exploring allegations of price-fixing by lumber companies, say reports.

The Helkinki Court of Appeal decided that there was no statute of limitations on the case, first launched by independent forest owners against forestry conglomerates Story Enso and UPM and state lands regulator Metsäliitto. The case will now be handed back down to the Helsinki District Court, which will reopen the case.

The District Court ruled last March that the lawsuit, filed by more than 650 independent forest owners, had exceeded the statute of limitations.

The dispute began when the nation’s Market Court found in 2009 that the three defendants formed a wood purchasing cartel between 1997 and 2004 to fix lumber prices. Competition authorities issued fines in the case, but the Market Court did not have jurisdiction to rule on whether the defendants’ actions harmed timber traders, reports say.

Landowners subsequently took the matter to court themselves.

At the heart of the statute of limitations disagreement is whether the case technically began in 2004, when UPM first came forward with evidence of the collusive behavior, or in 2010, when the Market Court’s ruling took effect.

The appellate court ruled the latter.

Full content: Yle Uutiset

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